Sacred Legends
by AmberGlow2
Summary: Quil imprints on Claire and refuses to hide anything from her. There are no orders to keep the imprinting secret. Claire's parents and Quil work together. How Quil & Claire's relationship grows with Claire ages 2 to 23. sweet. in canon with Breaking Dawn
1. Chapter 1 Imprint

"Oh really, and at exactly what age is it 'appropriate' to stop lying and tell her the truth

**A/N: This is my updated version of Sacred Legends, after having visited La Push and read Breaking Dawn.**

**Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Thanks to Heartbroken1, Whippit, 1DRTWINS, Birdee18, my brother Daynen, and my daughter Nita for my Beta on this chapter! **

**Chapter 1 – Imprint**

I have always enjoyed my home here in La Push, the small Quileute reservation on the Pacific Ocean in Western Washington. I love the beaches with the calming sounds of the waves, and the cool mist of the sea spray. I love the green of the forests, the ferns, and the moss. I've always loved these things, but now I could enjoy them even more. Now I could run as a werewolf, a protector of the tribe. The freedom of running as a pack of wolves with power and speed was exhilarating, and really burned up some calories.

Those assigned to the first shift had just finished our early morning patrols and were definitely ready for something to eat. As we dressed, I turned to Embry. "Hey, race you to Emily's for some breakfast," I challenged.

"Quil, you want to put your money where your mouth is?" Embry taunted back at me pulling on his cutoff jeans.

"Sure, I'll bet you five bucks I'll beat you to the kitchen!" I gloated and readied my stance.

"Go!" We heard from behind us, not thinking about who had begun the race, I leapt forward and sped through the woods toward Sam and Emily's place. I knew I could take Embry in this kind of a race. My muscles were more developed than his, and it gave me the advantage in this type of a race. I was even a little surprised that Embry had suggested the bet considering all of the times he had lost to me recently.

As we exited the woods and rounded the end of the drive for the last straight-of-way to Emily's, I could tell I was a good three feet ahead of Embry. I could also tell that we were going to have to be a little careful getting to the kitchen as there were people out in the driveway in front of the house.

I put my head down and pushed myself as hard as I could the next twenty yards, trying to widen the gap between Embry and me so I could have time to maneuver around the people and furniture near the front door. Although I had Embry on all-out speed, I knew he had a slight advantage when it came to agility in avoiding obstacles. As I neared the end of the twenty yards, I looked up to quickly analyze my path to the door. I was so stunned by what I saw that my brain shut everything down. I froze in place, and Embry immediately plowed me over from behind. I lay on the ground and lifted my head to see what had taken over my entire system.

There in front of me was the most adorable creature I had ever seen. I was instantly taken in and riveted to this angel; everything else around me became a blur of greens and browns. The urge to protect this innocent, heavenly being took over every cell in my body.

Still lying on the ground, I lifted up onto my elbows for a better look. I scanned over her black, silky hair that wisped towards her shoulders. Her wide, chocolate-brown eyes were an exact match to the color of my own eyes, almost as if they had been designed together. Her nose and lips were so delicate and tiny they almost appeared too small for face. Her round chubby cheeks held dimples so deep that I was sure I could get lost in them. As I stayed there stunned by my little angel, she sat staring at me, grinning as wide as her mouth would allow. I felt an almost gravitational pull to be near her, but as I stood to move closer, I was instantly laid out on my back with the wind knocked out of me.

"I totally won!" Embry taunted from his perch on my chest, "You so have to pay up!"

I didn't really process what he said. All I could think about was seeing if my angel had been hurt or frightened by this latest brawl. I struggled to sit up and look for her again. Feeling too much resistance, I got frustrated and suddenly focused my energy into throwing the obstruction off of my chest and out of my way.

"Dude, what is your problem?" Embry yelled from across the yard.

I glanced over to see I had thrown him a good fifteen feet away from me before my eyesight immediately returned back to the angel, _my_ angel. She was rising into the air; I stood, unconsciously moving with her actions.

"What is wrong with you boys? You could have hurt Claire!" I heard Emily's voice scold, and in that instant my vision began to clear. I realized that my angel's name was Claire, and that she was being held in the arms of Emily. "Quil?...Quil?...SAM!!" I vaguely heard Emily say as she began to enter the house taking Claire with her. I followed in behind them unable to remove my eyes from Claire's.

"Sam! You need to get in here NOW!" Emily yelled, as she paced behind the couch.

"What is it Emily?" Sam asked as he sweetly and innocently kissed her on the cheek.

"Quil!" She said as she nodded her head in my direction. "I know that look. How could he…How am I…You have to fix this," Emily stammered at Sam. She was clearly agitated, but her train of thought was too difficult to follow in my dazed state. I did clearly notice her pacing though, as it interrupted my line of sight to Claire each time she turned.

I felt strong hands tugging at my shoulders and faint sounds of shock and laughter but could not be moved from my location near Claire. I was in a trance and she must have had me under some kind of spell. I knew I would do anything for her that was within my power.

"Outside, now!" Sam's order partially snapped me out of my haze enough to allow myself to be dragged out of the house. Once outside my vision began to clear, but my soul still yearned for my angel, Claire, inside the house. "Quil, what just happened?" Sam spoke, and I turned to look at his face which was a mixture of frustration and incredulity.

"I…I'm not exactly sure," I started as my mind began to process what had just taken place. I responded with the only explanation I could think of at the moment, "I think I've just imprinted on Claire."

Hoots and taunts came instantly from my pack brothers, who up until now, had been trying to decipher my unusual behavior. Sam cursed under his breath, something about werewolf and two-year-old baby. I turned to look at Jared standing in the doorframe and caught a glimpse of the two-year-old Claire in Emily's arms beside him. Emily looked angry, and the shock of how the situation looked to others suddenly hit me. I was sixteen and she was two.

"Sam, how could this happen?" I asked him, "Isn't imprinting about finding your mate? How could this…why?" I struggled to find the words I needed. I could barely comprehend the situation, let alone explain my questions about it.

"Let's go talk," Sam said to me. "The rest of you, go inside," he ordered to the others.

I followed Sam into the woods, phasing into my wolf form after looking over my shoulder to see that Claire had made it safely inside. The urge to protect her was so strong!

Once both of us were in our wolf forms, Sam's mind and my mind were open to each other. I was able to replay what had happened, and Sam could know how I was feeling as it occurred and after. I knew he would be able to explain it to Emily so much better than I could, I also hoped he could explain it to me.

_I was drawn to her from the instant I saw her. It's like the whole rest of the world stopped and blurred at the edges. I feel the need to be near her, to protect her, to provide for anything she might need, like she is an angel from heaven for me to watch over._

_Yes, _Sam thought;_ this is definitely imprinting._

_Why now? Why when she is only two? _I asked Sam, hoping he had some information to help me understand.

_Quil, you imprint the first time you see that person after you start phasing. You just happened to see Claire for the first time when she was two. _His thoughts let me realize he was concerned about what kind of relationship I was expecting with Claire at this point._ How do you feel about her? _

I raced through my thoughts and feelings using images when needed to help explain both to Sam as well as myself. _I feel like I need to protect her. I want to see her safe and happy. I don't feel romantic feelings for her which I'm thankful for; that would be gross!_ I knew that this knowledge would be there for any of my pack brothers the next time they phased and that they would understand. I could also see that this was going to be so much more complicated than the imprinting the others had experienced, but all I cared about was Claire.

_Yes, you will definitely have difficulties that Jared and I never had to face._ Sam thought. _Let's go get some breakfast and discuss Claire afterward,_ he suggested. We both raced back, hoping that our pack brothers had left at least a little food behind for us.

As we entered the house, the feeding frenzy other people called breakfast was still on, and I quickly joined in after noting that Claire had been safely placed in a Pack-n-Play off to the corner of the living room. After inhaling three muffins, I looked over to the sink where Emily stood, deep in conversation with Sam.

She saw me looking their way and said, "Quil, we are going to talk after breakfast." Her tone reminded me of my mom's when she was getting ready to ground me; the thought of being grounded from seeing Claire made a lump in my throat so large that it was difficult to swallow.

My whole body rebelled against the idea of being away from Claire. I looked over to her again. She was watching me and she smiled as I looked into her eyes, her sweet dimples making her round face even more adorable. I stood up and began to walk towards Claire. I couldn't help but smile back at her. I picked her up and she grabbed my cheeks in her chubby little hands and giggled. I could hear comments and snickers from my brothers, but I ignored them. Joy swept over me, and I felt it was my mission in life to make her laugh.

**A/N:** **I began this story as a series of volumes, mostly because I was afraid to start out a Quil & Claire story with Claire as a 2 year old, with a T rating. It seemed creepy to me. Since I have gotten so many wonderful reviews both on Sacred Legends & my other work, I have gained a little confidence. (I have channeled my inner Alice!) I also have been having some trouble with the story due to the volume set up I created, so now I am going back with a bit of re-writing and making it work better with Breaking Dawn, and it will become a single volume. **

**Please, read, review, and recommend to you friends! Thanks, AmberGlow2**


	2. Chapter 2 Negotiations

Chapter 2 - 2 year old

**Thanks to Imma Vampire, Heatbroken1, and my sister Ginger for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer – All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

Chapter 2 – Negotiation

I finished eating my breakfast with Claire on my lap, she would take little bites of my food and it reminded me of a little raccoon. Emily was watching me like a hawk the entire time, and as soon as she could tell I was done eating she had me up and backed into the corner of the couch in the living room.

"Quil, my sister and her husband trusted me to watch over and protect their girls today, how am I supposed to explain this to them?" Emily began.

"Emily, if you don't know, how the heck am I supposed to know?" I responded to her, "I only imprinted this morning; you have more experience with this than I do."

Emily screwed up her face and looked over to Sam. "Maybe we don't have to tell them right away. Can we just wait until she's 12 or something and then tell them?" She asked Sam hopefully.

"Emily, how am I supposed to explain why a sixteen-year-old is hanging out with a two-year-old?" I asked her. Her head bowed down and I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. The same one when I thought about being grounded from seeing Claire. Was she actually suggesting I stay away from Claire? "Emily, are you wanting…do you seriously think I can stay away from Claire for ten years?"

"Well, it would make it easier…" she drifted off, still not looking at me.

I immediately stood up holding Claire a little more snugly in my arms. "No! That's not an option!" I almost shouted feeling very protective over Claire.

"Sit down and stay calm," Sam said in a tone that was clearly an order.

"Sam, you know I can't be away from Claire," I said, sitting back down on the couch, panic still touching my voice. As if Claire understood what I was saying she reached up and touched my cheek and giggled.

"Will," Claire said in what was clearly an attempt to say my name. With that, the tension in the room seemed to break.

"Ohhhh" Came out of Emily's mouth. As much a sigh as an expression of realization as it hit her that Claire, at two years old, was just as much affected by this as I was. At that moment Emily really understood and began to see my point of view. I could tell from the expression on her face that she understood that there was no way we could be separated for long, and definitely not for the ten years she had been suggesting. "I understand now Quil. Let's figure out what we need to do so you can be with Claire."

Relived that Sam and Emily were now on my side, I was able to relax as we began discussing options. Emily let me know that Claire's parents, Sarah and Daniel, were here in La Push looking for a house. Hope began to be my overriding emotion, maybe I would be able to be near my angel Claire as she grew up. I felt hope that I would be able to be with her until she was old enough to be with me as a friend, my soul mate, and later as my wife.

Logically I could see that I was sixteen and she was two, but nothing about imprinting felt logical. It was as if our souls were ageless and calling out to each other. It was a gravitational pull that drew us near to each other now and forever.

We heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house and Emily instantly was tense. Sam put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Maybe it's time to explain our relationship to your sister and Daniel. Then it will be at least a little easier to explain what has happened with Quil and Claire. Quil, why don't you take the girls outside to play?"

I was embarrassed to know that this was the first time I noticed that there were two little girls here instead of just one. Claire had an older sister who was also here today. I led Claire and Skye out to play. As we went outside, Claire's parents were getting out of their car. Claire and her sister ran up and hugged their parents. In addition to being happy to see their girls, Claire's parents also seemed to be generally very excited. Maybe this would go a little better than I had been expecting.

Emily welcomed them and introduced me, "Sarah, Daniel, how did things go? Did you find what you were looking for today? Why don't you come inside and we can make cookies and talk all about it? The girls can play out here with Quil. He's a friend of ours who works with Sam." Emily seemed to rush through her thoughts not letting anyone answer.

I could tell Claire's parents, Sarah and Daniel, were really excited to talk to Emily and Sam about their day without interruption from the girls, because they hardy gave me a second glance.

After Sam and Emily took Daniel and Sarah inside, Skye asked me to help her with her build a town. She told me how she was 5 years old and going to be starting kindergarten. Skye instructed me about using twigs and rocks to make the roads and houses, and she got rather frustrated with Claire for knocking over parts of the town we were building. We had been playing for a while when the door to the house flung open and Sarah and Daniel came quickly out to where Claire, Skye, and I were playing and picked up their girls eyeing me suspiciously.

"Please Sarah, let's all come inside and enjoy the cookies we just made." Emily's voice called across the yard. Claire's parents still looked at me with distrust, and were obviously trying to figure me out. They slowly moved with their daughters back into the house, eyeing their car on the way, making it look like they would much rather take the girls and drive far away than to go into the house with me.

I hung my head and followed nervously behind Sarah and Daniel. I knew this would be the day that would determine the rest of my life. Daniel and Sarah were Claire's parents and could move to the other side of the world if they wanted to. Even the thought of this made my stomach twist into knots.

Emily had a habit of baking when she was nervous. Walking into the little house and being overcome by the sweet smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies seemed to calm everyone down a little. I was never more grateful for Emily's baking habit than I was today! We all relaxed a little bit further while eating the amazing cookies.

Sarah and Daniel took turns drilling me with questions, asking about my age, my school, my family, and my interests. I could tell that they were trying to get a feel for me. They had evidently accepted what Sam and Emily had told them about themselves, because each time Sarah and Emily looked at each other, they got grins on their faces. I was so grateful they seemed to be accepting of Sam and Emily's situation. I knew it would mean less of a leap to get from there to mine and Claire's situation. It was a leap I was desperately hoping they would make.

As Claire and Skye finished up with their cookies and got cleaned up from the mess of chocolate chips, Emily pulled out a toy box for them to play with, and Sam got a chair from the kitchen and placed it behind where the girls were playing facing the couch. Sam instructed me to sit in the chair, and invited Emily, Sarah, and Daniel to sit on the couch.

So there sitting across from me like the Spanish inquisition were Sam, Emily, and Claire's parents Sarah, and Daniel. I couldn't have been more uncomfortable if they were actually going to give me "the talk". They each took turns looking as if they were about to begin speaking, but ended up looking at the others incredulously and shaking their heads. This had been going on for a full five minutes, to make matters worse, since Claire and Skye were playing behind me I couldn't even glance at Claire without exasperated sighs and looks from all four of them. The agony of the situation was excruciating!

Sam finally decided to take the lead on the conversation and lead it in the direction of pack business. "Um…well…" He cleared his throat, "So Sarah, Dan, we've filled you in about werewolves, vampires, and imprinting." Sam cracked his knuckles and tried to release the tension in his neck and shoulders. I knew this was difficult for him because it also exposed Emily's sister Sarah to the true nature of Emily's injuries. They were looking at him with wary glances that hadn't been a part of their demeanor when they had returned to Sam and Emily's just a couple of hours earlier.

"How can we…how are we...what do you want from us? What do you expect from our daughter?" Daniel finally asked me directly as he let out a large huff of air and ran his fingers through his hair trying to relax a bit.

I was struggling between trying to keep track of Claire by sound only, and trying to figure a way to answer that question without aggravating the situation even further. Sitting still was never my strong point, I am a man of action, and this sitting around was driving me crazy. I was fidgeting so much that I think I was putting them all more on edge. Then peace came to the room in the form of a two year old Claire.

I was fidgeting in my chair when I suddenly felt a silky smooth touch on my right arm. I followed the four pairs of eyes across from me down to a pink satin blanket covering the toddler next to me. Claire had hidden under her blanket like a ghost and carefully toddled over to me. Her chubby little hand had reached out from under the blanket and touched my right arm. In that instant I had felt a wave of peace and relief flow through me. I was able to be truly calm for the first time today and in some ways for the first time ever.

Ignoring the others in the room, I lifted the blanket from her head and playfully said "peek-a-boo" to Claire. A wave of the most adorable giggles filled the room and relaxed everyone else. Claire pulled the blanket back over her head, pausing and giggling as she anticipated the next round of peek-a-boo. I played a few more times before she toddled off to her dad, extending her arms to be lifted onto his lap.

It occurred to me that this was exactly the answer to his question. "Daniel, you were asking about what I expect? I guess this is the kind of thing I hope for with Claire." They looked at me a little confused so I continued, "I just want to be near Claire and make her happy. At two years old, I guess that means hanging out with your family, playing a little peek-a-boo, and watching her snuggle up in your arms."

"That seems like odd behavior for a sixteen year old, Quil," Daniel said skeptically.

"Yeah, well so does changing into a giant wolf and ripping vampires to shreds, but it doesn't mean I can't enjoy it." I nodded with a small grin in Sam's direction.

With that Sam laughed heartily and came over slapping me on the back and saying "So true my brother; so true!"

I explained it the best way I could, how I saw it in my head. I didn't have romantic feelings for Claire. Nothing mattered more to me than Claire. I would do anything for her. I would be her playmate, confidante, friend, and protector, whatever she needed from me. I would be there for her as much as they would allow. I would give her the option to choose if she wants me to be there for her or not, but I would not be sidetracked from my devotion to her happiness. I could tell that with the added nods from Emily, Claire's parents were beginning to warm up to the idea.

Daniel even joked, "So you will be there for her every need? Is moving furniture included in that offer?"

"Sure, if that's what you need!" I was happy to move furniture if it meant being able to help Claire.

Sam then composed himself into his Alpha wolf mask and stated, "Well ,Sarah and Daniel, if you are okay with Quil being around, I guess the next step is to set up the ground rules about when and how Claire should be told about any of this. I think that it is only appropriate that she be mature enough before being told about the situation."

I whipped my head around to Sam, instantly frustrated with the possibility of playing a high stakes game of secret and lies. "Oh really, and at exactly what age is it 'appropriate' to stop lying and tell her the truth?" I asked frustrated. "12…14…16? Is there some magical age at which you think she'll be happy to hear I have been hiding the truth from her for her entire life?" I stretched out my hands from the tight balls my fists were making; trying to calm myself.

"Quil, you can't tell her about this," Sam said.

"I can't hide it from her. You didn't hide it from Emily, and Jared didn't hide it from Kim. Every cell I have wants, no needs, to protect her. How is deceiving her protecting her? How could I deceive her or hide something from her for any length of time and ever expect her to trust me again?" I had to make them understand that I just couldn't lie to her. I couldn't hide from anything she asked.

"She deserves a chance at a normal childhood," Emily said.

"Quil, she's not old enough to comprehend it all," Sarah added.

"I know that," I answered them both. "I just feel like if she asks me a question straight to my face, I can't lie to her," I explained. "Let's say she's 15 ½ and asks me about Emily and Sam's relationship and something she overheard about imprinting from one of the pack members. What if she asks if I have imprinted? If I am bound by an order to not tell her until she is 16, how can she possibly trust me for those 6 months?"

"Wait, you can be bound by an order?" Daniel asked "From whom?"

"From me," replied Sam. "I am the Alpha of the pack, and my orders must be followed."

A small snicker escaped from Daniel as he asked, "So could you say, give him an order not to kiss her until she's 32?"

"I don't think she'd appreciate that very much," Emily said, her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm no where near that age yet, and I resent you for even considering it," She added in a much lighter tone.

I could tell that Claire's parents were having trouble seeing how to be comfortable with any kind of relationship between me and their two-year-old daughter. I tried to address their concerns in a way that hopefully would avoid any mandates or orders from Sam that Claire or I would resent at a later time.

"Daniel, Sarah, I understand that this is all new to you, and how weird this is, believe me. I just want you to understand that I'd really like to be able to be near Claire in a way that is comfortable for everyone." I paused for a second to try to come up with a plan. "Do you think that maybe it would make you feel more at ease if I only am around Claire when you, Daniel or Sarah, can be there with us?" This seemed to relax the looks on their faces just a bit as they considered being able to really know what was happening with Claire and me.

At that point Sam spoke up. "Dan and Sarah, I know you are concerned about Claire, and I want to assure you that we all are. Do you remember me explaining to you earlier how I knew that Quil's intentions were pure because I could see his thoughts?" They both nodded, and Sam continued, "Well, I will be able to continue to see Quil's thoughts. I will be able to not only see his interactions around Claire like you will, but I will also be able to feel his emotions and thoughts behind those actions. I promise you that I will never allow Claire to be in danger from Quil." Sam finished.

I spoke up again. "While Claire is a child, I have no intention of doing anything with Claire that I wouldn't feel completely comfortable doing in front of you. I know things will change when she is older, your age for instance, but if we are always honest with each other we can figure things out as we go. We can make this work for us all." I suggested. "If you have any issues we can talk about them when stuff comes up. I will also follow and respect any family rules you put in place for Claire."

Sarah and Daniel looked at each other and both kind of shrugged and nodded. They then looked over to Emily and Sam who nodded. They all seemed to be in agreement. Daniel was the one to speak for them all "Okay. That actually sounds quite reasonable." Then he paused and added in a lighter tone, "So what time will you be over to help us move?" With that Claire let out an adorable little squeal which made everyone laugh.

The bulk of the afternoon was spent with Daniel and Sarah filling in Sam and Emily about their plans to sign papers and move to La Push in a month or so, talk of Daniel's new job, and school for Claire's older sister Skye. I had no desire to leave Claire, and spent most of that time playing with puppets Emily had for her nieces to play with while they were visiting.

When it was time for them to leave Sarah was holding Claire in her arms near the door. Claire seemed to realize that they were leaving and she reached out her arms towards me and as clear as could be said "Qwil!" All of us were shocked, but none more than Sarah.

"I can't believe she just said that!" Sarah said in total amazement. "Quil is such a tough sound for a baby to say, and she hardly says ten words!"

I smiled knowing that Claire felt some of the same connection that I felt. But aloud I merely said "Well, I guess now that makes eleven!"

**A/N: Before the next chapter you can read pages 151-155 of Breaking Dawn to see where Quil and Claire fit in chronologically with this story.**

**If you ever want to watch a movie about why openness and honesty in relationships is a good idea, check out the movie 'Secrets & Lies'. It is one of those movies that will change your life.**


	3. Chapter 3 Wolf Girl

Chapter 3

**Thanks to Imma Vampire, Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 3 – Wolf Girl

"Quil, what's you favite aminal?" Claire asked in her cute little three-year-old voice.

"Hum, I would have to say a wolf," I replied totally serious as I continued to color along side her.

"Like da big bad woff wiff da fwee piggies?" she asked, looking a bit confused.

"No, I only like nice wolves. Like your toy Quil wolf," I replied with a smile pointing to the chocolate brown stuffed wolf I had given her for her third birthday.

She got up from coloring and went to retrieve her favorite toy. "I love my Quil woff!" she said as she held her toy in her arms.

"And Quil loves you too, Claire." I was glad she had decided to name the wolf after me. I absolutely adored her, and I liked being able to have these little times with her. I glanced across the room and into the kitchen where Sarah was preparing a casserole for dinner.

She and Daniel never left me alone with Claire, at first and for that I was grateful. If they were always watching, I could never be accused of something I didn't do; if they felt I crossed the line of what they felt was appropriate, I could get feedback quickly. This had definitely made it easier to spend more time with Claire as with each visit they trusted me more and more. By the time her third birthday came around, they trusted me enough to let me take her on short trips around the reservation, just the two of us.

I waited for Sarah to look over to me to gauge her reaction to my statement of Quil loving Claire. I knew Claire would only think of her stuffed toy wolf, but I knew with the toy having my name, it could come across in more than one way. Sarah looked over to me and with a wide grin merely shook her head at me and rolled her eyes. She was aware of the fun I was having with this but knew it was harmless for little three-year-old Claire.

"So what are you going to be doing for Halloween?" I asked Sarah, knowing she must be working on something with it less than a month away.

"Skye has a Halloween carnival at her school, and the entire family is invited. Everyone going is required to dress in costume. Would you like to dress in costume and go to an elementary school carnival?" she asked hardly able to contain her laughter at my expense. Sarah knew that any other seventeen year old boy on the reservation would rather stand in front of the entire high school naked than be caught dressed in costume at the elementary school carnival. She also knew that I would never pass up the opportunity to be near Claire.

"Sure," I said trying to sound blasé about it, "I guess I can dig up a costume if you'd really like me to go to the carnival."

Sarah just laughed at my attempts, but Claire answered exactly as I would have hoped. Claire jumped up on her chair and shouted "Yay!" while clapping enthusiastically. How could I ever resist such a cute little angel?

"So Claire, what are you going to dress up as for Halloween? Are you going to be a shark?" I teased her, knowing full well she would never go in such a 'boy' costume.

"No." She smiled and shook her head side to side, her baby fine hair appearing to defy the effects of gravity.

"Hum, no shark. What about a princess? Are you going as a princess this year, Claire?"

Again she shook her head and said, "No." With that I heard a sharp intake of breath, and looked up to see Sarah with a slight look of panic on her face. I knew that Skye loved all things princess, and there were several princess costumes to choose from throughout the house.

"Well if you aren't going to be a princess, what are you going to be?" Sarah asked Claire probably hoping that Claire's active imagination wouldn't involve too much sewing in the short time left before the carnival. I could tell she had really been counting on Claire using one of the already on had princess costumes.

"Guess!" Claire said knowing full well she was in control and had us both wrapped around her finger.

"Do you want to be a flower?" I asked.

"No." She giggled

"How about a pumpkin?" I tried.

"No." She giggled even more.

"Do you want to be a Care Bear, Claire Bear?" Sarah asked.

"No." Claire then turned to her mom and with all the seriousness a three-year-old can muster she solemnly stated "Mommy, I not a Claiwe Beaw. I a woff guwl."

Sarah and I both burst out laughing at that! "Come on wolf girl, let's clean up the crayons and coloring books for nap time." I encouraged.

Claire gave me the cutest little baby pout ever saying, "I don't wanna. Quil, you do it?" she asked and tilted her head to the side looking up at me through her long thick eyelashes and then grinning to show her dimples. How does she do that? Most girls aren't so skilled until about 16 or 17 and here my little Claire can pull it off at three!

Fortunately Sarah was there to see my eyes start to glaze over as I reached for the box of crayons completely under Claire's spell. "Oh no you don't, you little vixen!" Sarah laughed, "No cleaning up, no stories before nap. You were coloring too, Claire. Do you really want Quil to clean it all up and miss out on Quil's turn for naptime stories?"

"No!" Claire exclaimed and hurriedly began to pick up crayons as fast as her clumsy little fingers would allow.

Gotta love the mom! I would never have been able to resist the combined pout, eyelashes and dimples. Sarah knew this too, fortunately Daniel, Sarah's and my arrangement of me mostly spending time with Claire with them around allowed it to be possible that Claire could have structure and discipline, and I hardly ever had to be the bad guy. I think the plan worked out well for everyone involved. We finished cleaning up the crayons and coloring books, and I replaced them on the shelf.

Taking Claire over to the couch, I asked her, "So my little wolf girl, what naptime story would you like today? Cinderella, The Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel?"

She shook her head and asked for my favorite, "Secwet woffs"

"You'd like me to tell you about the Sacred Legends of the Wolf Indians?"

"Yeah! Pwease!" Claire clapped excitedly before attempting to climb onto my lap for the story.

"Okay." I said as I lifted her onto my knee.

At first Claire's parents were extremely wary of any physical contact I had with Claire; but after a week where Claire had a really bad cold, they changed their minds. Claire called out my name almost constantly when they were trying to get her to sleep. On the third night, they had been trying to get Claire to go to sleep for hours. It was a little past midnight when they called me completely overwhelmed and asked me to come over. When they answered the door, they both looked like zombies and apologized for calling me at such a late hour. They took me into Claire's room, and she immediately reached up for me. I picked her up in my arms and went to the living room couch. I rested her on my chest rubbing her back in gentle circles while continuing to let my hand warm her back. Claire fell asleep within two minutes. Sarah and Daniel were both standing there in shock, amazed that I could do in two minutes what they had been unable to do in three days. I earned a lot of respect with them that night. They were both so exhausted that I suggested they get some sleep.

When they woke in the morning Claire and I had been in the exact same position in which they had left us. Claire had slept a good seven hours straight. Sarah asked jokingly if I was also available for naptime, and when I showed up for naptime I was able to get Claire to sleep without complaining within a few minutes. Sarah fought with Claire over naptime daily; apparently our little Claire never wanted to miss out on any of the action. When I was holding Claire, she focused on me and I on her, so she wasn't missing out on anything and was able to relax and go right to sleep. I was recruited every day I wasn't at school to come and help Claire with her nap.

Nap time had quickly become my favorite time with Claire. She would sit on my knee riveted to any story I would tell, and then curl up against my chest while I sang her the lullaby my Grandma sang to me when I was her age. Today Claire had asked for my favorite story to tell her. The legends of the Quileute tribe, the stories I referred to with Claire as the Sacred Legends of the Wolf Indians.

I deepened my voice as much as I could and, doing my best Billy Black impression, I began. "The Quileutes have been a small people from the beginning, and we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood." I always began word for word as Billy Black did. I wanted Claire to know and pay attention to the legends. To know they were true when she heard them from others. From this point I simplified my story to her understanding and to tell the latest adventures.

"Not very long ago the cold ones came back to our area. They were different from the other cold ones because they had golden-colored eyes. They drank the blood of animals, not the blood of people like the cold ones with the red eyes." I continued.

"Quil, does cold ones dwink woffs?" Claire asked, her eyes sad as if she were about to cry.

"Well Claire, some of the golden eyed cold ones do drink the blood of the wolves, but they are learning not to drink the blood of wolves." I answered seriously.

"Does their mommy say not to dwink the woffs?"

I had to chuckle at that one. "No, Claire baby," I said touching the tip of her nose, "A friend of the wolves named Bella joined with the golden eyed cold ones. She is a friend to the wolves and to the cold ones. She taught us to work together and fight the bad red eyed cold ones so that cute little girls would always be safe from the cold ones."

Claire sighed in relief. She loved the stories that included Bella the friend to the wolf. "Quil, was Bella a pwincess?"

"Why do you ask if Bella was a princess, Claire?" Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sarah walking forward towards us to hear the answer as well.

"Pwincesses awah good. Dey help and love people. Dey awah fwiends and like aminals. So if Bella helped-ed the cold ones and the woff to be fwiends, she hasta be a pwincess wight?" Claire's logic was so cute.

"How can I argue with that? It makes perfect sense to me!" I continued on "So princess Bella saved the wolves in La Push, and the wolves in La Push saved the people and we all get to live happily ever after!" I wrapped up like any good fairy tale.

"So, is my baby Claire ready for her nap yet?" Sarah asked from behind the couch.

"NO!" Claire cuddled into my chest, "Mowe stowy."

"More story what, Claire?" Sarah reminded her.

"Please?" Claire answered sweetly.

"Alright….Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl with black hair and the most beautiful brown eyes of any girl in the whole world." I began.

Claire squealed and clapped her hands. She knew when I began a story this way that she would be able to participate.

"I'll be back to get her in a little bit." Sarah chuckled and rolled her eyes in pretend exasperation at a story that was obviously going to rile Claire up more than calm her down.

"Now, this little girl lived in a very rainy place near the ocean. So to protect her from all of this rain, her mommy bought her a very adorable and very red raincoat. She would wear this raincoat when she would visit her aunt," I added.

"Now Claire, why does this little girl go to visit her aunt?" I asked to allow Claire her participation portion of the story.

"COOKIES!" Claire cried with glee.

"Okay, cookies. Good idea." I replied. She smiled a very smug little smile for a three-year-old.

"So, little red rainy hood would put on her coat, hold onto her mommy's hand and walk to her aunt's house for cookies."

"Claire, what does she find when she gets to her aunt's house?" I asked her.

"WOFFS!" she practically shouted in my ear.

"Oh, really?" I pretended surprise. "Well why would wolves be at her aunt's house?"

"Cause Aunt Emily makes da bestest cookies evah!"

"And all the wolves know this?" I asked.

"Uh huh."

I smiled at her and whispered, "You're right you know, you're very smart." She just giggled at me.

"So to recap, little red rainy hood would put on her coat, hold onto her mommy's hand and walk to her aunt's house for cookies, and all of the wolves would be there for cookies too. The reason for the wolves would know to go there is because Aunt Emily makes the best cookies ever, right?" I loved how we could Mad-Lib story time together so easily.

"Yeah," she answered with satisfaction.

"What happens to little red rainy hood when she goes into her Aunt Emily's house? Is she scared of the wolves? Does she get a cookie?" I led on with the story.

"She not scawed a cat. She a woff giwl." She almost rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, she get a cookie! She at Aunt Emily's house!"

I smiled at her and asked, "Well with a house full of wolves, how is this little red rainy hood wolf girl able to find the cookies?"

"She find hewh Quil woff, and he give hewh a cookie cause he hewh pwinty woff." She smiled with utter satisfaction in herself.

I was amazed at her explanation. All I could do was finish off the story in complete agreement. "You are right, Claire, if little red rainy hood had an imprint wolf to take care of her, she would always get a cookie at her Aunt Emily's house no matter how many wolves were there eating all of Aunt Emily's food."

There it was in the innocent understanding of a three-year-old. Your imprint is the one who will always make sure you have a cookie.

Claire looked up at me and announced joyfully, "I know 'bout Haw-o-ween! I be wed wainy hood!"

I glanced over to Sarah and saw she had a big smile on her face over a costume that would obviously be easy to put together. I looked back to Claire and answered, "Claire, I think that's a great idea!" I paused for a second and asked Claire, "What should I be for Halloween?"

"A big woff." She smiled and then added, "wiff cookies."

Sarah and I both chuckled over Claire's attempts to be sly in order to get cookies, but all three of us knew it would work. "Okay Claire, time for your naptime song." I said and adjusted her in my arms.

I held Claire to my chest and gently swayed back and forth singing her the song my Grandma had sung to me as a child.

Go to sleep my Claire.

Close your dreamy eyes.

The lady moon is watching,

Throughout the darkening skies.

The little stars are peeping,

To see if you are sleeping.

Go to sleep my Claire.

Close your dreamy eyes.

Claire never made it through the entire song, her slow steady breathing letting me know she was asleep. I put her down on her toddler bed and tucked her under her quilt with her toy wolf still held in her arms. She was most definitely the sweetest angel on this earth.


	4. Chapter 4 Abstract Concepts

Thanks to for the Beta work on this chapter

**Thanks to imma vampire, Birdee18, my sister Britney, & Heartbroken1 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 4 – Abstract Concepts

After the big fight with the Volturi, Jacob had thought about leaving La Push for a while, he was concerned with the conflict that two alpha males in the small area might present. But Bella preferred to stay by Charlie as long as possible, so he could see Renesmee, and wherever Renesmee was going to be, that is where Jacob would insist on being as well. Jacob and Sam met and discussed various options, eventually dividing up the pack patrolling the areas.

Jacob's pack would take the areas north and east of La Push and out to the Cullens. The Cullen's big white house on the river kind of became our pack's base operations much to the disgust of Rosalie, and often the frustration of Alice. Sam's pack patrolled west to the ocean and swept up around our area to near the Makah reservation, and south of the 110 to Forks and South.

After the big fight for Renesmee, the Cullens tended to have frequent visitors, so our patrols remained frequent, and done with a great amount of caution. Sometimes we missed the days when we could just attack a vampire first, and ask questions later.

_So Quil what's on the agenda for today, Teletubbies?_ Embry teased as we ran towards the Cullen's house after a night on patrol.

_Claire watches Barney now, she's outgrown Teletubbies,_ I thought instantly, and just as quickly the others' laughter filled my head. I knew the teasing would be mere seconds behind. _Alright you caught me off guard, I know the teasing is coming so bring it on,_ I thought with resignation.

I kept to my own thoughts as the barrage of insults began. I was pretty used to it by now; it had been almost two years since I had imprinted on Claire and I had phased every day to make sure I would slow down my aging as much as possible. That left a lot of time for me to be open to the teasing of others.

Still, how could they get so riled up over something as stupid as a kids' TV show? With something as big as our High School graduation going on today, why couldn't they stick to _that_ topic? I thought of caps and gowns and procession lines, but it still didn't sway their thoughts and taunting.

_Fine,_ I thought, _you want to think about kid shows? Here you go!_ Then I started in on the Barney theme song.

**I love you.  
You love me.  
We're a happy family…**

_Ahhh, don't start that again!_ Embry complained.

_Are you all finished for today?_ I responded.

_What time for Sesame Street?_ I heard from Jacob, so I continued.

**With a great big hug,  
And a kiss from me to you.  
Won't you say you love me too?**

I love you.  
You love me.  
We're best friends  
Like friends should be.  
With a great big hug…

_There is a second verse to that song?_ Leah's thoughts came in as she phased to take over patrol. She still tried to avoid the Cullens as much as possible.

_How long has it been since you've been on patrol with Quil? He's been using it as his defense for weeks now!_ Embry thought.

**And a kiss from me to you,  
Won't you say you love me too?**

_Dude, it's SCARY that you know the whole thing!_ Jacob thought.

_Are all of you done now?_ I paused to see if they were really going to let up on the teasing.

_Preschool baby,_ a random thought came so I started in again.

**I love you.  
You love me.  
We're a happy family.  
With a great big hug  
And a kiss from me to you…**

"What the…?" Edward spoke as we neared the Cullen's. "Let me guess, Quil you've had enough teasing about Claire for the night?"

_Yup,_ I responded.

"Ok, well, Esme has breakfast ready, so if any of you are going to eat this morning, you might want to quit goofing around and get here before Rosalie tries to throw it all out," Edward warned gently.

It didn't take more than that! We were off and running, phasing at the edge of the forest near the Cullen's house.

As we entered the house, I received a very nice surprise! Claire was there waiting for me. She was already dressed and ready for the day's graduation ceremony. Either Sarah or Alice had dressed Claire in the school colors of red and black with a very adorable red dress over black leggings with shiny black dress shoes with little bows that matched little black bows on her dress.

_Oh man, I can't believe I noticed all of that! Ok, so I totally deserve to be teased!_ I thought, and I hear Edward chuckle lightly. _That still doesn't mean I'm going to let up on the Barney music when they go at it though._ I added, looking in Edward's direction.

He nodded back at me.

I crossed to the living room and gathered Claire up in my arms and swung her around asking her, "How is my little 'Wolf Girl' Claire today? Ready for Graduation?"

She squealed with delight and hugged me around the neck as best she could with her arms full. "Oh, Quil!" She called out, "I have something for you! I have a present!"

Bella laughed from across the room. I looked over at her as she began to explain. "Sarah just dropped Claire off about 15 minutes ago. You should have seen her!" She paused lightly laughing then continued, "She was in her pajamas, her hair was sticking up everywhere, and she looked more irritated than I've ever seen her!" She giggled again. "Apparently Claire has been pretty excited about today, and slept less than she did on Christmas Eve!"

I turned my attention to Claire and asked her, "What time did you wake up this morning Claire?"

"Well, Mommy kept telling me it wasn't time yet, and to go back to bed, but I finally got to get dressed when the clock said four-oh-oh!" Claire replied excitedly.

The entire room erupted in laughter! I couldn't help but join in. "Claire, you've been dressed and ready for two hours already? You must be really excited about this present!"

"Uh huh," came Claire's response.

Bella continued, "Sarah came and sort of dumped her off at the door. She said 'I don't care if it isn't even six yet, she's been waking me up every thirty minutes all night, and has been dressed and pacing outside my room for almost two hours now! Daniel finally said that if she wanted to stay up all night like the vampires, she could go hang out at with them, and to bring her over here! So here you go.' She didn't even pause long enough to see if I was dressed or not. She just dropped her off and muttered she'd be back at noon when it was actually time to go to the graduation as she headed back to her car."

I looked at Claire with a huge smile on my face, "So Claire, should we sit down and eat a nice big breakfast and then maybe a little later you can give me that present of yours?" I teased.

Laughter erupted again as a somewhat shocked and disappointed look came over her face.

"Imprint or not, I don't think she'd ever forgive you for that one, Quil!" Embry called out.

"I can almost guarantee it," Edward said.

I smiled down at Claire and responded back to Embry, "I think you're right! Well, I can't upset my little 'Wolf Girl' now, can I? Let's see that present!" I walked over to the couch and sat down with Claire resting on my knees. "What do you have with you today, Claire?" I asked her.

I noticed she was clutching her chocolate brown colored toy wolf she had named Quil in her left hand. It had been a present from me for her third birthday, and I had never seen her without it since that day. In her right hand, she clutched a small white paper bag.

"Here is your present," Claire said as she held the small white bag out to me. It was covered all over with Claire's crayon drawings and scrunched and slightly ripped at the top evidently from several hours of her excitedly holding it this morning.

"Did you decorate the bag all by yourself?" I asked her, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Well I can hardly wait to see what is in here!" Claire giggled with excitement as I carefully opened the crumpled bag. I looked inside and there were two deep red silicone wristbands with the word "Loved" molded into the side. One wristband was larger than the other, and I asked Claire about them. "Wow, Claire! These are cool! Can you tell me all about them?"

"Sure!" she stated confidently, "The big one is for you, and the little one is for me. They are red because they are for love, and also 'cause your graduation is the color red, like my dress."

"Thanks so much, Claire!" I gave her a big hug and put the larger wristband on. I'd have to remember to take it off before phasing.

"Mommy said there are more at home. She bought 5 of them because she knows that sometimes you rip your clothes and stuff," Claire added.

I chuckled along with the rest of the pack. "Claire, I'm glad your mom thinks ahead, just in case." I was actually a bit relieved to know Claire wouldn't be devastated if I accidentally phased and broke my gift. Claire put the smaller wristband on her arm, and even over the sleeve of her dress it was still a bit too big. "How about we go get some breakfast now?" I asked her. She nodded and I carried her over to a spot near the table.

"Hey Quil, does that girl's feet ever touch the ground?" Emmett joked glancing over from the TV.

"Not too often when I'm around," I answered.

And we ate breakfast the way Claire and I usually ate together, with her sitting on my knee eating off my plate, of course only picking her favorites and never touching the things her mom and dad always made sure she ate when she was eating without me there.

After breakfast we still had a couple of hours before I had to be in my cap and gown, so I decided to see if I could get Claire to take a nap. I loved spending time with her, but I knew she'd be miserable, and maybe even have to miss out on the evening's bonfire if she was too tired or cranky.

So I walked over to the opposite side of the living room with Claire cradled in my arms rocking her back and forth trying to get her to calm down and go to sleep, but there was too much going on that she didn't want to miss out on. We sat on the couch and I continued to cradle her hoping the sounds of the conversation would eventually die down, and she could relax more.

No luck, Seth and Embry came in and sat down on the couch next to me. Seth was asking Embry if he had any particular plans now that he was graduating.

"I'm not sure what is going to happen," Embry said. "I think it would be kind of cool to go to college, but I don't know if I could be away from the pack for four whole years. I mean even if I get to see everyone on breaks and holidays, it would still be almost four years of not being here. I don't think I could be gone from the pack that long." Embry looked conflicted and deep in thought.

I heard a gasp and looked down to see Claire looking at Embry, her eyes wide. She then looked up at me tears starting to form in her eyes. Her body stiffened and she said, "You can't go. You have to stay with me. You don't have permission, you didn't say please." Claire looked directly into my eyes as she said this, and it was like she was talking directly to my soul.

I knew if I left her to go to college or trade school that she would be deeply hurt, and I would miss her terribly. I had taken into consideration the idea of a trade school, but wasn't really interested in college. School wasn't really my thing, being a wolf suited me just fine. Unfortunately, you can't make a living as a wolf. But I also knew I had some time. I figured I had at least a minimum of fourteen years before I needed to financially support Claire. I had time to figure something out. But I hadn't discussed this with Claire. My thoughts were interrupted by laughter from Seth and Embry.

"Well, I guess we know who the boss is in your relationship!" Embry laughed.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Just wait until you imprint."

"I think I will," he answered, "Wait that is."

I looked back down at my Claire, who still had a worried look on her face. I kissed the very tip of her little nose and said, "Claire, don't you worry about a thing. I am not leaving for college or anything else. I will stay right here with you."

"Gonna be a nanny for a living?" teased Emmett.

"Whipped, by a three-year-old!" Embry laughed again.

"I am four!" Claire shouted at Embry before sticking her tongue out at him.

"I guess she told you!" Seth laughed, and they both got up to leave.

By that time most everyone had headed out and the house quieted enough for me to sing Claire the lullaby that always got her to sleep. As she slept in my arms I pondered our relationship. Up until now, it was always about enjoying her company, making her laugh, and protecting her. She had parents to provide and care for her, and I hadn't really thought about the fact that I would eventually be taking over that job.

I thought about what Embry had said, and for the first time since imprinting I was totally relieved that I had imprinted on Claire when she was two! Not only did I get to experience every day of her life with her from two years on upward, but I didn't have to worry yet about all the heavy relationship stuff that couples like Jared and Kim had to face when they graduated.

As I looked at my sleeping angel, I seriously rejoiced over the fact that she was still only four! Today I was definitely glad that I had fourteen more years before I faced more serious life decisions.

Graduation went smoothly. My grandfather and Sarah took plenty of pictures. My favorite shot was one of Claire, me and the stuffed wolf Quil. Sarah had sewn a little graduation gown and mortar board for it to match mine. After Sarah had taken a couple of shots, Claire took the mortar board off my head and put it on hers. It slid down just a little and we were looking at each other giggling and Sarah got the picture.

Daniel and Sarah invited me over for a late lunch after graduation. The plan was to go from their house to a bonfire with Sam's pack, but they were debating about it only twenty minutes before it was time to go.

I walked into the kitchen and heard Sarah saying, "She's just as tired as I am. Claire kept us all up last night." She saw me come in and said, "Quil, I'm not sure we're going to go to the bonfire tonight. Skye is feeling really tired, and frankly so are we. Claire woke us up every half hour all last night; she was so excited for today. I know you were really counting on this, but I'm afraid if we go that we will just end up getting sick. . ." Her words seemed to hang in the air, ready to deliver the final blow, when I felt Claire walk in behind me.

"Mommy, Daddy, we ready to go now?" Claire asked innocently. Skye had helped her into her new outfit, a pair of embroidered jeans with a matching shirt and sweater. I had heard from Claire earlier in the day how they had gone to three stores because she wanted to pick just the right clothes for my special graduation bonfire.

Since the bonfires went so late in the evening, this was to be the first one that Claire would be attending. I was sure the excitement of the bonfire was at least half the reason she was up last night.

The look on Sarah's face got more worried, and she looked quickly over to Daniel. They both looked at each other like they didn't want to be the one to tell Claire. I was beginning to think they would draw straws or flip a coin when Sarah suddenly asked Claire, "Oh, honey, you had a little purse with that outfit didn't you? Where is it?"

"Oh, yeah! I'll go get it!" She gave me a huge smile and ran off to her room. She was so happy; I was really hoping there would be a way to take her. I hated to see Claire sad or disappointed.

As I turned back to Sarah and Daniel, they had their heads together and were whispering to each other in a code only people married to each other could understand. There were a lot of "uh huh" and "fine" and "try it" with a few nods and shoulder shrugs. Then they turned to me and Daniel spoke, "Quil, we really are so tired that we just aren't up to going tonight."

I nodded my head. "I understand," I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice and expression, but knowing I hadn't done a great job of it.

"Well, we know how much this means to you, and it's all Claire has been talking about for weeks! That's why I had to make Claire's toy wolf the graduation outfit, so she could act the day out with her dolls," Sarah added.

I smiled and nodded not exactly sure where this conversation was headed.

"Quil, we have watched you with Claire for two years. We have never had any concern over your actions. In fact, you've helped me fix my car so many times I think I should refer to you as my mechanic!" He paused and chuckled at this, then continued, "What I'm trying to say is that we trust you. You have never given us a reason not to trust you; you haven't ever even asked to stretch the limits or boundaries of the guidelines we have set for you and Claire. We know she would be devastated if she didn't get to go tonight, and so we were wondering if you would be interested in taking Claire to the bonfire."

I stood there stunned for a second, and then asked, "Alone? Just Claire and me?"

"If you think it will be too much, or you won't have enough time with your friends, you don't have to take her. We just know how much this means to both of you, and we just really aren't up to going," Sarah responded.

I laughed at the idea of wanting to spend time with the other werewolves instead of Claire. "Daniel, Sarah, I would love to take Claire to the bonfire tonight. I'm really glad you trust me, and I won't do anything to betray your trust. Thank you," I answered.

Daniel turned to Sarah and said, "Besides, if anything weird happens, we'll be able to find out from Sam or Jacob tomorrow."

"They're a bunch of teenaged werewolves at a bonfire. What do you mean by anything weird? The entire thing is weird!" Sarah answered him. They both laughed.

Daniel called out to Claire, "Claire, are you ready to go?"

Claire came into the front room with her Quil wolf stuffed animal in one hand and a little embroidered purse that matched her outfit in the other. "Daddy, I'm ready to go!" She smiled up at him.

Daniel knelt down in front of Claire and asked, "Claire, would it be alright with you if you go to the bonfire with just Quil? Mommy, Skye, and I are feeling really tired, and aren't up to going."

Claire smiled a huge smile that showed her dimples really well. "You mean go in Quil's truck with just me and Quil?" She stood up straighter and with a huge smile looked at both her parents and then at me. "Yeah, I wanna go with Quil!" she exclaimed.

Her parents both laughed and shook their heads. "You know, somehow I knew this would be the easiest part of the evening," Daniel said to Sarah. "Come on Quil, let's go get Claire's car-seat into your truck."

Driving over to the bonfire, Claire was in seventh heaven! She kept holding her toy Quil wolf doll up to the window and pointing things out. I realized that not only was it a special occasion for her to be with just me for so long and late, but she was always in the backseat in her parent's car. She could see so much more from the front seat of the truck, and that alone was exciting.

After we pulled into a parking spot, I looked over and asked, "Claire, are you ready for your first bonfire?"

She was smiling the biggest smile I had ever seen; her entire face was shining. She looked me in the eyes and said, "Oh, yeah!"

I unbuckled her from her car-seat and swept her up onto my shoulders. "Hold on tight to your things Claire, I'm going to run down to the bonfire!" I warned before taking off in a slow jog. She squealed with laughter and wrapped her arms around my forehead causing me to have to look around her wolf and purse to see the path.

As we arrived Sam and Emily were the first to notice us. Emily looked at us with surprise and asked, "Where are Sarah, Daniel, and Skye?"

"They weren't feeling up to coming tonight, so they said Claire could come with me. Evidently, something or someone kept waking them up all night," I teased.

"It was me!" Claire announced her behavior, which was met by resounding laughter.

We put down Claire's things next to Emily's and went over to where the food was. Next to Embry was a girl I had never seen before. She had a look in her eyes when she looked at Embry that I recognized immediately, Embry had imprinted!

We approached them, and before I could get a word out, from up on my shoulders I hear a soft and surprised, "Oh!...Embry, you have a imprint girl!"

Embry whipped his head around with a deer-in-headlights expression on his face, which led me to believe he hadn't yet discussed the topic of imprinting with this girl. I took Claire off my shoulders, partially so I could see her face, and partially to have a better defensive position if I needed it.

Claire had a look of realization on her face and I could tell that she had just put together the word imprint with the actions and feelings associated with imprinting. "Claire, where did _you _hear that word?" Embry asked, obviously trying to steer the attention away from this girl next to him.

"Humph," Claire actually scoffed at Embry! "Embry, you know that Quil is my imprint!" She shook her head at Embry. Claire turned to the girl and asked, "What's your name?"

"Ariel," the girl replied. Then she asked Claire, "So what is an imprint? I mean, what is so special about your imprint?"

"Well, all of it is special!" Claire looked astonished at first, and then she got a grin on her face as she began to explain it, "Quil is my imprint and Embry is your imprint. I can tell because of the way your faces look all happy at each other."

Ariel looked down blushing at that point, and Embry looked a little relieved for the first time since we had approached them.

Claire continued, "Having a imprint is better. You get more presents and more fun. My sister, Skye, doesn't have a imprint and she doesn't have a Quil wolf doll or extra cookies at Aunt Emily's house." Claire got a little bit of a glazed over look in her eye, looked me in the face and said, "When you see your imprint, it makes your heart happy, and everything is ok, even when you get hurt or sad, it is happy now."

"Wow, that sounds really nice," Ariel said, "How do I get one of those?"

Claire turned to her and said excitedly, "You already have one! Embry's your imprint!"

Ariel quickly looked over to Embry and he gave her a shy smile, nodded his head and quietly spoke in her ear, "I was trying to figure out how to explain it to you."

I smiled at them and said, "So Ariel, you are Embry's imprint, it's nice to meet you. I am Quil. This is my imprint, Claire."

Ariel looked at us and raised an eyebrow, "She's your imprint?"

Claire answered with an enthusiastic, "Yeah, Quil has been my imprint since I was two, right, Quil?"

"Yup Claire, you're a pretty special girl! You get to have me take care of you for just about your whole life!" With that Claire giggled and snuggled up against my shoulder. My stomach growled loudly and Claire laughed lifting her head from my shoulder. "Well Claire, it sounds like it's time to eat. Would you rather be up or down?"

"Up please," Claire answered adjusting herself so I could lift her up to my shoulders.

I lifted Claire to my shoulders and filled a plate with food as high as it would go without the food falling off and found a place near Emily and Sam. I figured I'd give Embry a chance to talk with Ariel without Claire telling her anything she might not be ready to hear.

That got me thinking about how openly Claire had discussed imprinting with Ariel. I was surprised that Claire had such a good understanding of the concept, although it seemed like she was defining it for herself at the same time she was explaining it to Ariel. I decided that with the upcoming stories it was the appropriate time to discuss what _not_ to say with Claire.

We finished eating the food on our plate, and I checked to make sure Claire had gotten enough to eat. Then I settled Claire in my lap facing me so I could talk to her. "Claire, it seems like you know quite a lot about imprinting…"

"Yeah," Claire said, waiting for more.

"Do you also know that not every girl imprints, that only wolf girls imprint?" I asked her.

"Uh, huh, like Skye doesn't have a imprint."

"That's right. And do you know what the word sacred means?" I asked her hoping that I could help her understand the importance of keeping the legends secret without her worrying that they were bad in any way.

"No, what does sacred mean?" Claire asked innocently.

"Sacred is when something is so special, that you don't want someone making fun of it. You said that 'your imprint it makes your heart happy, and everything is ok, even when you get hurt or sad.' How would you feel if other kids or even grown ups told you that was silly, just because they had never felt it before?" I asked her.

"I wouldn't like it," Claire said with a slight frown.

"Well, when things are extra special, or sacred, sometimes it's better to only talk about those things with people we trust. Like your mommy and daddy, Aunt Emily or me."

Claire looked a little worried and asked, "What about Embry?"

I gave one short laugh, "Yeah, you definitely talked to Embry about wolf things tonight, didn't you? Well, one of the reasons we have these bonfires is so we can talk about sacred things in the right place and with the people we trust. Since you have been invited to the bonfire, Claire, that means that everyone here trusts you to keep all of the sacred things we talk about at the bonfire a secret. Do you think you can do that? Do you think you can keep the sacred things for just special times like these?" I asked Claire seriously.

With a very solemn nod of her head she said, "I will keep the wolf secrets, Quil."

"Thank you, Claire. I knew I could trust you." I smiled at her. "Are you ready to hear the stories of our people, the sacred legends?" I asked.

She leaned over and got her toy wolf Quil, and turned around in my lap and snuggled in ready to hear the stories, the legends that each of us in the pack knew to be true.


	5. Chapter 5 Just Like Mommy

Chapter 5

**Thanks to Heartbroken1, Birdee18 and my daughter Nita for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**A/N: Thank you to my brother Daynen for the "Why when there's cereal" Quote, and thank you to my 5 year old son for the explanation of how a baby gets into the mommy's tummy.**

Chapter 5 – Just like Mommy

"Quil, what do you want for lunch?"

"Grilled cheese sounds good," I answered Embry. I stood up and went into the kitchen. I looked around at the mess, the dirty pans, the piles of plates in the sink, the phone book laid out over the stove. Nah, totally not worth the effort, I thought, then grabbed a bowl and filled it with cereal and milk.

I opened the drawer that usually held the spoons, and realized they were all waiting to be cleaned. I looked over the selection on the counter to find the least offensive one and ran it under the tap. I wiped it on the edge of my cut off sweats, stuck it in my bowl and walked back out to the TV.

As I sat down on the couch, Embry said, "Dude, I thought you were going to make grilled cheese sandwiches."

I just shrugged. "Why bother when there's cereal?"

"Dude, you're pathetic," Embry said with disdain.

"I don't see you getting up and making it," I retorted, shoving a spoonful of cereal in my mouth. The phone rang, and I put down my cereal to answer it. The caller ID let me know it was Sarah. I made sure to swallow before answering, "Hello?"

"Quil? This is Sarah. I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but I need to ask you a favor." Sarah had a slight edge of panic to her voice, but at the same time sounded almost lethargic.

"Sure, anything." I said, hoping this would give me a chance to spend time with Claire, a much better option than watching Baywatch reruns with Embry all afternoon.

"I need someone to pick up Claire from school today. I can't stop throwing up and I'm afraid if I try to drive to the school and back, I won't be able to make it." I could tell there was a slight echo on her end of the line; she was most likely calling, using a cordless phone, from the bathroom.

"I can do it, no problem. What time do I need to pick her up?"

"In ten minutes. I'm sorry to call so late, I was just…really thinking I'd be able to…do it myself." It sounded like she was beginning to gag a little.

"No problem. Hey, since you're not feeling well, do you want me to take her to the park or something?" I offered, hoping this would be convenient for both of us.

"Quil, you don't have to…" I heard the phone drop and then the obvious sound echoing through the bathroom, confirming exactly why she wasn't feeling well.

I held the phone at arm's length not wanting the sound to make me sympathize with her and get sick myself and be unable to go get Claire.

"Gross, is that someone on your phone throwing up?" Embry asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, Sarah isn't feeling well."

"Apparently," Embry said as he looked at the phone with disgust.

I heard the water at the sink running and then quiet. "Sarah, are you there?" I asked.

"Yeah…" came her weak reply. "If it's not too much trouble…I would love it if you could take Claire for a while. That would be really helpful," she said.

"Do you want me to keep Claire until Skye is out of school, pick up Skye as well, then drop them off?" I offered, immediately becoming concerned at the sudden gagging sounds so close to when she had just finished being sick.

"That would be heavenly." Sarah sighed.

"No problem, I'm on my way. Take care of yourself," I said as I hung up the phone and picked up my keys. "Well, Embry, I'll see you later."

"Got a hot date?" Embry joked with me.

"As a matter of fact I do. See you later." I called as I headed out the door.

I got to the school just after the kindergarten class got out. Claire saw my truck, and ran to me. I got out and helped Claire get into the truck. "Hello, Claire, how was school today?"

"It was fun!" Claire answered excitedly.

"Your mommy was sick so she asked me to pick you up. Do you think you can sit in the truck without a car seat?" I asked her.

"Quil, five-year-olds don't _have_ to have a car seat," she said matter-of-factly.

"Well then, hop on in!" I said as I lifted her up into the passenger seat of my truck. I got into the driver's side and was about to ask Claire if she wanted to go to the park today when I saw the first drops of rain hitting the windshield. "Hmm, looks like the park is not going to work. Have you eaten lunch yet, Claire?"

"No, I have lunch at home after kindergarten," Claire answered.

"Well, how does McDonald's sound?" I asked. "We could get something to eat and you could play on the play-land, does that sound like fun?"

"Yeah!" Claire answered enthusiastically.

On the way to Port Angeles, Claire told me about kindergarten and the things they were learning. "Tomorrow we learn about the letter Q, and we are supposed to bring a show-and-tell. I was going to bring my Quil wolf doll, but could you come instead? I told my friends at school that my best friend was a giant and they laughed at me."

"Your friends laughed at you? I'm sorry, Claire. Well, I don't have to work tomorrow, so I'd be happy to come to your class. Do you think it will be okay with your teacher?"

"Sure, there are mommies there helping all the time," Claire said. "Anyways, my teacher didn't believe me either."

"Well, we'll show your teacher and friends tomorrow," I told her.

We pulled into the McDonalds and I carried her inside. Claire liked being tall in my arms so that she could see everything better. After I ordered our food, Claire picked out a booth for us to eat in. We sat eating for a while with Claire deep in thought.

I interrupted her thoughts by asking, "Do you know why your mommy is sick?"

"She has a baby in her tummy and it makes her throw up," she answered.

"Oh, I didn't know your mommy was going to have a baby." I thought about it, and it made sense and explained what I had heard over the phone.

"Uh-huh." She pondered over her apple dippers and then asked me, "Quil, how do babies get into mommies' tummies?"

I was immediately uncomfortable, so I deflected the answer by saying, "You should ask your mommy that question."

"She told me to ask you," she said innocently looking at me from the opposite side of the booth.

"She what?" I sputtered and coughed nearly choking on the bite I had just taken.

"Mommy said for me to ask you about how babies get in mommies' tummies because you know how to tell me stuff the best," Claire answered, sweetly looking into my eyes.

My stomach immediately went into knots. Wasn't this Daniel and Sarah's job as her parents? Heck, they were the ones who created this situation; it seems only fair that they should be the ones to explain it!

I had taken high school biology class, but that didn't seem like a good explanation for a five-year-old. I was faced with a dilemma I had been hoping to avoid for quite a while. Claire had asked a question that I didn't know if I could honestly answer, and I had promised myself and Claire years ago that I would never lie to her, but I seriously didn't want to get into this discussion with Claire as a five-year-old!

Scrambling to come up with something, anything, deflection was all I could think about at that moment, so I asked her, "How do you think they get in the mommy's tummy?"

Claire pursed her lips off to one side very much showing her dimples, and said, "Well, they melt down from heaven, and then they harden in the mommy's tummy with like all the bones and stuff."

What? How was I supposed to work with that? I looked down at my fries slowly chewing them, and hoping she would leave the subject alone, forever. "Hummm," was all that came out of my mouth.

"So, Quil…" She paused waiting for me to look at her; when I did she continued, "Is that how it happens?" Her face was so sweet and innocent, I just still had no idea how to answer her question.

I tried to back out of it the best I could. "Claire, I made myself a promise that I would never lie to you, so I'd rather talk about it later," I answered hoping this would work to end the subject.

"Ok, when?" Claire asked.

_Darn._ "How about I tell you when you get married?" I asked Claire hopefully. "Hey, you are all done with your food, weren't you going to go play in the play-land?" I asked, desperately attempting to change the subject.

An instant smile swept across her face. "Yeah, I'm going to play! You finish eating, you're being a slow poke today," Claire told me as she ran to go take off her shoes and put them in the cubby before playing.

She played there with some other children as I watched and waved each time she would pop her head up and call my name. After about an hour I called for her and let her know it was time to go get Skye from school.

Driving back to La Push I quickly realized that I was in for more questioning. Once we were in the car Claire began with, "Will I still know you when I am married?"

"I certainly hope so," I answered trying to figure out why she would be asking me that question. I really couldn't come up with a reason, so I asked her, "Claire, why do you want to know?"

"Well…you said you would tell me how babies get into mommy's tummies when I get married, so I was just checking." Claire paused for a moment, and then looked up at my face and said, "Quil, can I marry you when I get older?"

I was so shocked by this and had to struggle to keep on the road. My mind raced as to what to say to this and how seriously to take her. I looked down into Claire's big brown eyes to try and see how to take what she said. I was met with pure innocence from her eyes. I couldn't help myself; she was just so sweet and innocent, that I couldn't joke about this answer or blow her off.

In my head my answer was _Claire, if you still want to marry me when you are all grown up; I would be honored to marry you._ Out loud all I could answer was, "Sure my little wolf girl, whatever you want."

Claire smiled with relaxed satisfaction and answered, "Good."

I was in a bit of a daze as she continued to chatter on about kindergarten and her little friends. I was practically in shock by the time we reached the school to pick up Skye. I stopped the truck and Claire unlocked the passenger side door, unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted to the middle seat to make room for Skye. Claire buckled into the middle seatbelt and snuggled into my side.

I couldn't help but feel calm at the touch of the one person who made my existence truly have meaning. By the time we got to Claire's house I was almost calm again, but feeling a little like I had been put through the ringer. We walked in the door and Sarah greeted us, obviously feeling better than she had been earlier in the day.

"Thank you so much, Quil! I can't tell you how much I appreciate you picking up Claire today! I was sick for a full two hours after you picked her up. I had a really bad bout of morning sickness," Sarah explained.

I slumped down onto a chair at the kitchen table. "Yeah, Claire kind of told me that was the reason," I responded weakly.

Sarah turned her head and almost laughed at me. "Quil, did my little five-year-old wear you out today?"

I shook my head slowly and then let my head sink into my hands the palms of my hands rubbing my eyes as my elbows rested on the table. I took in a deep breath and said, "I don't know how you do it!"

This time Sarah outright laughed at me, "Oh no, what happened?"

I looked up and said, "Well, after the 'how do babies get into the mommy's tummy discussion,' Claire said she wanted to marry me when she grows up."

I am not sure what I expected when I told her that, but I didn't expect her to giggle at me. I looked up confused and she said, "Yeah, last night Claire told Daniel she wanted to marry him, and he had to explain that he was already married to me. She was a little disappointed at the news."

"Ok, but then why did you tell Claire to ask me about how the whole pregnancy thing works? I practically choked on my hamburger when she said you had told her to ask me!"

Sarah chuckled again, "Sorry about that. We just really didn't know what to tell her so we put her off by telling her to ask you. Besides, you explained about keeping the legends secret so well, that we figured maybe you had almost a 'Claire super power' for explaining things to her. You know, kind of like your super ability to put her down for a nap when she was a toddler."

"Well, I don't," I admitted ruefully, "I basically asked her what she thought, and then told her I'd tell her when she got married."

Sarah started giggling more, and just then Claire came in all dressed in a princess costume and a dress-up bridal veil, and Sarah completely lost it! She was laughing almost to the point of hysteria.

"Mommy, what's so funny?" Claire asked, and was answered only by laughter and head shaking, so she turned to me and said, "Quil, will you marry me?"

At this Sarah laughed even harder, banged her head down on the table and was actually snorting! I figured the only possible outcome of continuing this conversation would be more laughter and ridicule so I answered Claire with a, "Sure Claire, let's go play pretend," and got up to go play with Claire in the living room. "If this is a preview of what is to come for the next nine months, I feel really sorry for Daniel," I called out to Sarah as her laughter continued.

Sarah invited me to stay for dinner partially as a thank you for taking care of Claire, and partially as a peace offering for the hour she spent laughing at my expense. After dinner, when Sarah had actually calmed down enough, she explained that five-year-old girls like to see about finding their place in the world. They like to imitate their mommies, and it is normal and not some imprint werewolf thing. I told her she could have told me that earlier in the day and saved me a whole lot of emotional grief, which of course just sent her into another round of hysterics.

Yes, I thought, this is going to be a very long nine months!


	6. Chapter 6 Wolves

Chapter 6 Wolves

**Thanks to Imma Vampire and Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Extra thanks to Imma Vampire for help tossing ideas back and forth!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 6 Wolves

I was right and I was wrong. In some ways Sarah's pregnancy seemed to drag on forever, especially to her through the heat of the summer. In other ways it seemed like Claire turned six and started first grade way too fast. Sarah seemed to begin her morning sickness with a vengeance that first day she called, and it continued through the end of the school year.

I was sorry for Sarah, and the plumbing in her house, but I was very glad that it gave me so much time with Claire. She is such a sweet adorable child, and I'm not the only one who thinks that either. Jacob arranged my patrolling so I was able to pick up Claire and take her home for lunch almost every school day for the last five months of kindergarten. We'd help get Sarah cleaned up or settled with some ginger snaps and then we would color, play pretend, or if the weather was nice enough, play outside. Many days we went to the Cullens and spent time with Renesmee and Jacob. There weren't other children Nessie could spend time with, on a regular basis, because of her extreme rate of growth.

I would watch Claire until the end of the regular school day and then go pick up Skye from school. Usually about the time we all would get back was about the beginning of Sarah's good time of the day. She would have about four hours of being able to function before she fell asleep.

It was interesting that on graduation day Emmett teased me about being a nanny, and from the end of January until the first day of school that is pretty much what I was. Emily even joked with Sarah that for the same price as she was spending on me for food each day, that she could hire a nanny and a private nurse. Sarah was kind enough to laugh it off.

After the school year had ended, Sarah needed my help more than ever. She was still rather sick each day from the time she woke up until about 2:30 in the afternoon. So in a way I was Claire and Skye's babysitter for the summer. We spent a lot of time at the beach! When I wasn't able to watch the girls, the task fell to Emily, so Sam was helping Jacob to be really accommodating with my patrol schedules.

One of the loneliest days of the year so far was the day Claire started first grade. I had not really been prepared for how much I would have to be away from her. After taking Claire and Skye to school, I started driving away and realized I didn't have anything planned for the next seven hours!

I sulked into the house and pouted in front of an endless stream of random TV until lunch time. I finally got up to get something to eat. There really wasn't much of anything in the kitchen, some condiments, ends of a loaf of bread, and some soda. I thought about going to the Cullen's, but for some reason that just reminded me of the first half of the year when I would get to have lunch with Claire. I would listen to her chatter on about school and her little friends. No, I needed to get some real food at my place. I went to go to the grocery store, and on my way drove by the school. I was so tempted to stop in and just see Claire, just to visit, but thought better of it.

I finally ended up sucking it up and heading to the Thriftway in Forks, stocking up on peanut butter, cereal, milk and enough other random things to allow our refrigerator to look like someone actually lived in Embry & my house. I hung out until it was almost time to pick up the girls from school and called Sarah to beg her to let me pick them up. Being in her third trimester, it wasn't too difficult of a sales job for me.

As I picked up Claire and Skye from school I could tell that Claire was a little agitated. In discussing it with her, apparently one of the little boys in her class had recently been to the zoo in Seattle with his grandparents and they basically bought out the gift shop for him. He was making a big deal out of it, and it hurt her feelings. Claire wanted to go to the zoo.

.:oOo:.

A few days later I had tried to placate her by taking her to a farm. There is a cute little goat farm near Port Angeles called the "Galloping Goats Farm" that we visited. She watched the goats climbing around, and saw the baby kids climb all over everything. I had even bought her some goat milk soap. That still didn't appease her. A month later it still seemed like all she could talk about was going to the zoo in Seattle.

I discussed going to the zoo with Claire's parents, and Claire was constantly talking about it. I had offered to take Claire, but they said with a four hour drive each way, that it would need to be a pretty special occasion. Sarah suggested that maybe the weekend after the baby came might be a good time. I had asked Skye if she wanted to go, but she told me that eight hours in the car to go see some little old wolves wasn't very exciting when she could just go over to Aunt Emily's house and see more than she wanted to see. I had to laugh at that.

I spoke with Jacob about him and Nessie coming along, but apparently Bella and Edward were still nervous about Renesmee in such a public place, especially around so many animals.

I also pretty much figured that Claire might sleep a good portion of the way home after a long day at the zoo, so I had decided to invite Embry and Ariel. Besides, Ariel's Toyota got way better gas mileage than my truck which would save us quite a bit on the trip. We were all set with the plans, we were just waiting for Sarah's delivery.

.:oOo:.

_Ring ring_ I reached for my phone and answered still a little groggy from sleeping, "Hello?" I glanced over at the clock and it read six in the morning.

"Quil, guess what?" Claire asked me.

"Uhh, you were making Kool-Aid and now your fingers are all red?" Spewing the first random thought that came to my head. This kind of thing usually got a good laugh from Claire, and I wasn't disappointed today.

"No, silly!" she laughed, "My mommy had the baby last night. I am at Aunt Emily's house." With that I jumped to my feet knowing that today was Saturday, and Claire would be ready for the zoo. Sarah had given us a call last night with a warning that she might be going into labor, so we weren't totally caught off guard. I pulled on some jeans and headed over to Embry's room.

"A new baby! That is pretty exciting news. Do you know if you have a new little brother or a new little sister yet?" I asked. Daniel and Sarah had wanted to keep it a surprise until the birth, which of course just encouraged a tremendous amount of betting amongst the packs. I knocked on Embry's door to wake him up, and was caught off guard when he actually answered right away.

"I have a little brother!" Claire announced with excitement. _YES!_ I would now have enough cash to pay for the entire trip just from the winnings alone. I whispered to Embry that the zoo trip was on for today, and saw him reach for his cell to call Ariel. "His name is Marc, but I can't see him until after he comes home from the hospital."

"Well that's a bummer, so what are you going to do to keep yourself busy then?" I teased her as I went back to my room to get ready for the day.

"Quil! We have to go to the zoo today remember?" Claire chided me with just a slight edge of concern in her voice that I might have actually forgotten. I must be in a big brother stage because the reaction from teasing her was very funny to me.

"Oh . . ." I said with a slight groan so that she would think I had a problem going today. In truth I was putting on my shoes, and almost ready to head out the door.

"Boy or girl?" Embry asked as he appeared in my doorframe ready to go and holding his cell phone to his ear.

"Boy" I whispered, laughing at his grimace and disappointment as he handed me a twenty dollar bill.

"Quil, you promised me that you would take me to the zoo the Saturday after my little brother was born, and I know today is Saturday!" Claire said, her voice sounded almost like she was crying.

I suddenly felt horrible! This wasn't a big brother feeling, there is no way I would be feeling this much remorse over hurting my sister's feelings. "Claire, my little wolf girl, I was only teasing; we are almost ready to go. I am so sorry for hurting your feelings. Embry and I are waiting for Ariel to come and pick us up and then we can go, alright?" I reassured her. I heard noise in the background of women talking and greeting each other.

"Ariel is here for me now. I gotta go Quil! Bye." Claire hung up the phone and I was left staring at it still feeling slightly guilty.

I turned to Embry who told me that Ariel had gone to pick up Claire and then was going to pick us up. "She said that she was afraid that if we went to Emily's house it would take her a full hour to get us out of there because we would try to eat Emily out of house and home. Ariel is bringing some snacks, and then said we could stop in Port Angeles and pick up something at McDonalds on the way."

"Smart woman you have there Embry! She knows you well." I laughed as we headed towards the kitchen to grab some of the snacks for the car we had purchased.

"She does, but at least she doesn't work me over like a trained poodle like yours does to you!" He laughed at me, "Claire has you so whipped already that I bet she has you doing her laundry be the time she is fifteen!"

"I'm not taking that bet," I mumbled as I turned around to gather the chips and soda.

Embry laughed so hard he doubled over and hit his head on the counter. "She has you…doing it…already…doesn't she?" He managed to get out in between bursts of laughter.

"Shut up, Embry. Sarah's been sick, and it's really hard for Claire to reach into the washing machine." I mumbled grateful to hear the horn on Ariel's car. Embry was much more subdued in her presence, and I knew the teasing wouldn't be as bad with Ariel there. "Let's go, Ariel's here."

The ride there was casual and fun. We kept busy looking at all the many things Claire was pointing out to us as we drove. She was so excited! We also played several rounds each of "I Spy" and the alphabet game, which Claire was now able to play.

About half an hour before we got to the zoo, Claire started talking about wolves. Claire and Ariel were sitting in the back seat and Claire began drilling Ariel for information first. It wasn't until she got to one question in particular that it she really caught my attention. "Ariel, have you ever seen Embry as a wolf before?"

It suddenly occurred to me that Claire's curiosity about werewolves might be a bit of the motivating factor behind the zoo trip. I looked to Embry and then to Ariel, anxious to see what their answer would be to that question. Embry continued to look straight ahead while driving, and Ariel just looked at me with a wide eyed deer in headlights look. "Well, have you?" I asked Ariel.

Ariel turned away from me and looked directly at Claire, "Yes, I have."

"Were you scared?" Claire asked her.

Ariel paused for a moment before answering. "Well, at first I was a little scared." Embry chuckled softly at that, and Ariel blushed a bit. She then continued, "I then looked into the wolf's eyes, and they were just the same as Embry's eyes always are to me. I saw Embry there, kind, loving, sweet, and I wasn't scared anymore," Ariel finished with a quick sidelong look at the rearview mirror to see Embry.

"So if I ever want to know about a wolf, I should look at his eyes?" Claire questioned.

"Sounds like a good plan, my little wolf girl," I said turning to look at her and giving her a big smile and a wink. She giggled back.

When we got inside the zoo I turned to Claire and asked her, "So, Claire, where would you like to head first?" I had a pretty good idea what she would choose.

"I want to see the wolves!" Claire exclaimed. We all laughed.

I swung Claire up onto my shoulders and headed in the direction of the Northern Trail. We tried to stop and view some of the other animals on our way to the wolves, but Claire didn't really have any patience for the delay. When we reached the wolves, they were in the back of the exhibit asleep and somewhat hidden.

"Do you think we should get their attention?" I looked over to Embry and he instantly smiled at my suggestion. With a look over our shoulder to make sure no one was near enough to tell it was us, we began to make rumbling growls in our throats. The growling made vibrations and Claire began to giggle, knowing what I was doing.

As we had anticipated the wolves got up and started to pace in reaction to the sounds. We could now see them clearly as they were moving around clearly agitated.

"Well, what do you think Claire?" I asked tilting my head up to try and see how my little wolf girl was reacting to seeing the wolves. The look of frustration on her face concerned me, and I moved her from my shoulders into my arms to be able to see her better.

"Those aren't wolves. They're just dogs! I'd like to go see the wolves please, Quil." She said as politely as she could manage through her irritation.

"Claire, those are wolves. Look, it even says it on the sign right here 'Gray Wolf'. What were you expecting?" Ariel asked her. Embry was trying to stifle his giggles behind her head, clearly amused that Claire was not impressed by these wolves.

"Well, first of all, they should be brown like chocolate…like my Quil wolf."

Embry shot me a look of wide eyed surprise and I shook my head and aloud said, "So you think all wolves should be chocolate-brown like your Quil wolf stuffed animal?" I asked her. Embry nodded as he realized that I hadn't shown her my wolf form, but that she had gotten that idea from her toy.

With that Claire mumbled, "Well, all the good wolves are brown like chocolate."

I burst out laughing at that one and smacked Embry on the arm. "Yeah, all the GOOD ones are brown like chocolate."

"Is there anything else wrong Claire?" Ariel asked her.

She scrunched her eyebrows together and said, "Well, real wolves should be big. Those wolf dogs aren't even as big as me!" She let out a snort of disgust.

"So you're telling me size matters to you Claire?" Embry asked trying to hold back his laughter. I smacked him upside the head with my free hand. Ariel rolled her eyes but giggled anyway.

"Well Claire, one of these days I'll show you a wolf that will impress you." I shot a quick glare at Embry to stop any comments. "For now, how about we go see the rest of the zoo?"

We spent several hours walking around the zoo looking at the animals. Any time Claire couldn't see them, or they were sleeping Embry and I would let out a little rumble of a growl and work them up for a good show.

We even went to the children's petting zoo and played with the goats for a bit. Ariel insisted that I put Claire down for that part. "Quil, you've been holding Claire all day. The muscles in her legs are going to atrophy if you don't let her walk at least some of the time," She said.

"Fine. I'll let her down, but only for the petting zoo. I don't want to risk Claire getting lost or hurt." I answered.

"Has she ever gotten lost or hurt in her life?" Embry cut in.

"Not when I'm around!" I answered with satisfaction placing Claire on the ground and giving her a quick little kiss on the forehead.

"What a fun childhood." Embry remarked with heavy sarcasm.

"Hey, I want to make sure she's still around and in once piece when she's Ariel's age, Ok?" I said, looking over to where both our girls were petting the goats.

"Yeah, have fun with that," Embry said as he went over to stand next to Ariel. I followed behind thinking of how much I was enjoying being around Claire at each stage as she discovered so many things.

When we were ready to go home I suggested that Embry and Ariel sit in front and Claire and I could sit in the back seat of the car.

"Ready for a little make-out session after a long day at the zoo?" Embry joked. I hit him on the back of the head at the same time as Ariel hit him on the arm.

"Don't be gross, Embry," Ariel chided. "Claire, You get first choice, where would you want to sit in the car?"

"Can I be the driver?" Claire asked, sending us all into fits of laughter.

"Not yet my little wolf girl. How about you wait to drive the car until after I teach you first?" I asked her, picking her up and swinging her around in my arms as I did.

Claire laughed and agreed. While I set her in the back seat and helped her buckle then settled in next to her. It wasn't too long into the trip when Claire became very quiet. I leaned over to see if she was napping and comfortable, and was surprised to see a look of something between irritation and frustration on her face.

"Claire, are you alright? It looks like something is bothering you." I asked her.

Claire sat up straight in her seat and looked directly into my eyes. "Quil, you always tell me the truth, right?" Claire asked looking up at me with wide eyes.

"Always, Claire, I promise," I said to her.

Claire looked at Embry and then Ariel while she nervously fidgeted with her fingers. She looked at her fingers for a moment and then looked up at me shyly from beneath her long thick lashes. Her words came out in barely a whisper, but I was able to hear them. "Quil, do you really turn into a wolf like the ones at the zoo?"

I looked down at her with complete sincerity and told her, "Claire, I turn into a wolf, but it's not like the ones at the zoo. I am much bigger than that, and my fur is the color of your Quil wolf doll. That is why I was so excited when you decided to call him Quil wolf."

She had a smile on her face as I told her that, and then she became thoughtful for a moment. She looked hesitant, like she was afraid to ask me something. Then she took a deep breath and asked me, "Do you think I could see you as a wolf?"

"Absolutely, Claire, I would love to show you! But I think you should be older, and it maybe should be for a special occasion like a Christmas or Birthday present. Maybe like when you are twelve?" I suggested hoping to put her questions to rest until she was a little better equipped to handle the situation.

"How about my seventh birthday?" Claire asked me.

"I am okay with that on one condition." I responded a little playfully.

"What's that?" Claire answered excited with the prospect of actually getting to see me earlier as she wanted.

"Your mom and dad have to say it is alright." I answered, and with that she got a huge smile on her face. She knew her parents were a pretty soft touch when it came to me and the things I asked about. I had been such a help to them over the past three and a half years that they were pretty flexible with what I wanted. Claire felt confident enough that they would say yes that she was able to relax and go to sleep. She slept the rest of the way home leaning up against my side. It felt very comfortable, and I hoped it would always remain this easy between the two of us.

**A/N: Time discussed Feb2009 –Oct 2009 Quil age 19 well really still age 16 because of the werewolf thing, Claire is 5 & turns 6 in Aug 2009**

**Claire's little Brother Marc Born Friday 16 Oct 2009 **

8


	7. Chapter 7 Birthday Gift

Chapter 7

**Thanks to Imma Vampire and Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Claire turns 7 on Thursday the 5****th**** Aug 2010**

Chapter 7 Birthday Gift

Claire's birthday was approaching fast, and I was really struggling with what to get her as a gift. I didn't want to just get her a typical toy for a seven year old; the pink aisle at the toy store literally made me shudder. Claire was more thoughtful than most girls her age, more introspective. Sometimes I would joke with her asking if she had solved all of the world's problems yet today. She would always reward me with her beautiful laugh.

I was still stuck with only 4 days left until Claire's birthday when I suddenly remembered a conversation we had in October on the way home from the zoo. Claire had asked if she could see my wolf form, and I had told her it would need to be later and a special occasion. This would definitely be a gift that I could give her that no one else would give her; she would absolutely love it.

I glanced over at the clock to see that it was just after ten in the morning. I was pretty sure Daniel and Sarah would both be home at this time on a Sunday morning, so I hopped in my truck and took off towards their place.

"Hi, Quil, it is good to see you this morning!" Daniel greeted me as he opened the door and welcomed me into the house. "What can I do for you this morning?" He led the way into the kitchen and offered me some orange juice.

"Thanks," I said taking the orange juice and sitting at the table across from Daniel. "I have been struggling with what to get Claire as a gift for her birthday. I think I've finally come up with something that she will really like, but I wanted to get your input to see if it would be alright with you and Sarah." I told him.

"Well, shoot," Daniel said as he leaned toward me resting his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands.

"Ok…umm…let's see," I stumbled over my words trying to figure out how to begin. "After Marc was born I took Claire to the zoo."

"Right…" Daniel said with a look on his face that was slightly confused by my stammering and a bit wary from my hesitation.

"Claire wasn't really impressed too much by the wolves at the zoo." I continued.

Daniel laughed at this comment. For months Claire had been disgusted by the "wolf dogs" at the zoo and let everyone around her know it.

"On the way home from the zoo Claire asked if she could see me as a wolf…" I paused at that point letting the idea of Claire seeing my werewolf form sink in with him.

"Ahhh," Daniel sighed with realization of my intended question. He leaned back in his chair pulling his fingers through his hair, intertwining his fingers and resting them behind his neck.

"So I told her we'd have to ask you, and that she needed to wait a while, and it should be a special occasion," I suddenly hurried on with my explanation. "Claire was actually the one who suggested her seventh birthday, and I haven't been able to come up with anything else, and I know she would really love it, so I was wondering what you would think about it." The last bit all came out in a constant stream of nervous energy.

Daniel paused, watching me for a short while before leaning back in his chair even further and looking up at the ceiling. I was caught off guard by this action. He was leaning back far enough that I readied myself to catch him if he were to decide to lean back any further. I was focusing so much on his chair and balance that when he began to speak it actually startled me a bit. "Quil, let me go talk to Sarah and see what she has to say. Why don't you help yourself to anything in the kitchen and I'll be back in a few minutes." Daniel finished and stood up obviously deep in thought as he left the kitchen to go discuss things with Sarah. I stood and looked in the refrigerator hoping to find leftover lasagna from last night's dinner.

"Hi, Quil!" I heard an enthusiastic little voice from behind me.

"Well, if it isn't my little wolf girl!' I said picking up Claire and spinning her around once and giving her a hug before setting her back on the ground. "Are you hungry this morning, or do you just want to eat off of my plate?" I joked with her.

From the time Claire was two she had been eating off of my plate. As almost a tradition of sorts with the two of us, each time I had a plate of food she would come up and take at least a little bite. She had let me know about a year ago at a bonfire that she was a growing girl and was really hungry and that she needed her own plate of food. From that point I liked to tease her and ask her if she was hungry, or just wanted to eat off of my plate.

"I'm hungry this morning, Quil!" She called out as she skipped across the kitchen to get a bowl from the cupboard.

"Well then, what'll ya have darlin'?" I asked her in my best southern drawl.

She giggled at my antics. "Fruit Loops!" she called out getting a teaspoon from the flatware drawer.

"Mmm, breakfast of champions," I teased as I reached for the box on the pantry shelf. "Would you like me to pour, or would you like to do it yourself?" I asked her, knowing that her independence was something she took very seriously.

"You may take care of this little thing, servant boy." Claire commanded in her best princess voice. It was at that moment that I heard Sarah gasp as she and Daniel came into the kitchen.

"We were just playing!" Claire and I said simultaneously, and then burst into fits of laughter. Daniel chuckled and Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Quil, you might not want to start playing princess and servant so early, those type of things can come back to bite you later." Daniel teased, dodging his wife's slap aimed for his arm. "Hey, Claire, why don't you take your cereal and eat it in front of the TV?" he then said to Claire.

"Really?" Claire exclaimed, "Yay!"

"Speaking of things that could come back to bite you." Sarah muttered under her breath, "You get to clean any spills," she said aloud as she tossed a dish towel in Daniel's direction.

Daniel caught it and placed it on the counter for later then invited us all to sit at the table to discuss Claire's birthday gift. "Quil, we have a couple of concerns that we would like to discuss with you in regards to the gift we discussed earlier," he said glancing in the direction of the front room to make sure that Claire was preoccupied with the television and her cereal.

I had figured as much so I nodded and asked them, "Like what?"

"Well, it's not like you can just change into a wolf at her birthday party," Daniel chuckled a bit, "so when were you planning on doing this?"

"I figured that early in the morning on her birthday might be a good time." I hesitated a little and looked at each of them suggesting, "Maybe about twenty to thirty minutes before sunrise."

"How do you see this working? I'm a little concerned about her reaction to a massive wolf. Will she know it's you? What about someone else being there, what was your plan?" Sarah asked me shifting baby Marc from one hip to the other as she swayed gently standing next to the table.

"Well you are both more than welcome to be there, of course," I started, "but I was thinking that it might be easier if Emily, Kim and or Ariel were there with her since they have already had the experience before."

Daniel looked at Sarah and raised one eyebrow. She looked back and raised her eyebrows giving a small shrug and slight nod of her head. "I think we'd be more comfortable with Emily helping her as well," Daniel said. "I mean I'd like to see it too, but I can't guarantee I wouldn't be more freaked out than Claire, and that just wouldn't be helpful to anyone," he finished with a self deprecating shake of his head.

"There is one other thing that I wanted to ask permission about…" I said hesitantly.

"What is that?" Sarah asked turning from the baby cereal she was fixing for Marc.

"Well, what if she wants a ride?" I asked not looking up from my lasagna. I heard them both snickering and so I looked up at each of them.

"Are you asking because you think Claire will ask and you would like to be ready, or are you asking because that's what you really want to do?" Sarah said doing her best to keep a straight face.

"Uh…both?" It came out as more of a question than an answer.

They both laughed outright at that. "Sure, it's fine Quil. We're just messing with you. You have been giving her rides on your shoulders and running around like that for years now. If she hasn't fallen off by now, I'm sure she has enough sense to hold on tight when she needs to." Daniel said patting me on the arm.

"Well, I guess that just leaves the timing of when to tell her," Sarah said. "If we tell her now, she won't sleep all week, and I can't handle that. You both remember Quil's graduation, right?

We both laughed remembering her waking up all night long. "How about I come and wake her up about five in the morning?" I asked.

"Sounds good to me," Sarah responded, "I'm usually up with Marc about that time so I can let you in. She'll wake up quickly for you, and if she doesn't know until the day of her birthday, she will actually get some sleep that night."

Just then the song for the closing credits to the show Claire was watching began to play, and I heard Claire get up with her bowl and spoon to come into the kitchen. I smiled at Daniel and Sarah and jogged the few paces to pick up Claire. I smiled at her as I carried her to the sink to rinse her dishes. "So my little wolf girl, are you ready for your birthday?" I asked her.

"Yeah, it's going to be great!" She exclaimed with excitement.

"I'm sure it will be, Claire. I think you'll have a great day."

oOo

The weather channel said that the sun was set to rise at 5:59AM on Claire's birthday. I was hoping that by arriving at Claire's house at 5:00AM it would be enough time for me to give Claire my gift and to be done before the sun woke too many people up for the day.

I had discussed my birthday gift with Sam and Emily, and they decided they both wanted to be involved. I think they were more excited to see Claire's reaction, figuring she would be extremely excited more than anything else. When I arrived at their house on my way over to Claire's at ten to five, they were both dressed and ready with huge smiles, and Sam had a digital camera. Emily had some omelets ready, and after inhaling them we were on our way.

We got to Claire's house, and as promised, Sarah was up with baby Marc. She let us in and Emily and Sarah were instantly all giggles. Sarah told me that she had picked out Claire's clothes and let me know they were downstairs before she sent me upstairs to wake up Claire. She knew I would have much better luck actually getting Claire out of bed than she would.

I walked silently into the room that Claire and Skye shared, leaned over, and gently shook Claire's shoulder. There was no response from my sleeping beauty. I wanted to waken Claire without bothering Skye, so I tried a gentle kiss on her forehead. Just like Sleeping Beauty, Claire's eyes fluttered open at the single kiss. It made me chuckle just a little.

"Quil?" Claire looked for confirmation as she attempted to focus her eyes.

I held my finger to my lips indicating to her that we should stay quiet, and glanced over my shoulder at Skye. She was sleeping soundly, so I decided it was easier to act than explain and gently picked up Claire and headed for the stairs. We were halfway down the stairs before I realized that she had grabbed her toy Quil wolf stuffed animal. I laughed when I noticed it. "Claire, do you remember how you got that Quil wolf doll?" I asked Claire, knowing she would not be able to remember her third birthday.

"I don't remember opening the present, but Mommy tells me you gave me Quil wolf for my third birthday." She answered me taking the Quil wolf toy and her arms from around my neck and holding it where we both could see it.

"Well, do you remember in October when we went and saw the wolves at the zoo?" I asked hoping to introduce the topic subtly.

She scoffed and said, "Those tiny wolf dogs? Yeah, I remember…why?"

"Claire, today is a special occasion." She gasped. "Would you like to see a real wolf?" Her eyes got big and a smile started across her face as I finished. "Would you like to see what I look like when I am a wolf?"

"Oh, yes Quil!" Claire said with the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face!

"You aren't going to be scared?" I asked her.

She replied with my favorite saying of all time. "Quil, I'm not a scaredy cat, I'm a wolf girl!"

"That's my wolf girl, I knew I could count on you." I said as I leaned over to kiss the tip of her nose and heard a click before setting her down in the living room.

"The first birthday picture of the day goes to me!" Sam said as he adjusted the camera for lighting and speed needed for outside.

"Come on my little wolf girl, let's get you changed." Sarah said as she handed Marc off to Emily, and took Claire by the hand. Claire skipped all the way to Sarah and Daniel's room to change and Sarah commented over her shoulder to me, "I am so glad we waited to tell her until this morning, there is no way she would have slept last night with how excited she is right now!"

We started to snicker, but burst into full blown laughter when Claire said, "You all knew about this before today?"

Claire came out dressed all in pink. She wore a comfortable long sleeve T-shirt with pink ruffles, and pink leggings to match. She even had new pink and white sneakers with hearts all over them that lit up with each step she took. Emily leaned over to me and said, "We thought the pink would contrast nicely with the brown in the pictures."

I shook my head and smiled, "I'm a little surprised that you both are so excited about taking pictures. I thought this was something you didn't want evidence of laying around."

"Well, first of all, they won't be lying around," Sam said. "Second of all, I think you'll be surprised how I crop these puppies, it'll most likely look like she's riding a shaggy horse."

I smiled at Sam and took a seat on the couch and patted the seat next to me for Claire. "Claire, would you come sit by me for a minute, please?" I asked her, "I want to explain to you about how this is going to work." Claire came over and sat next to me, the lights of her shoes all twinkling in the semi-darkness of the early morning. "Claire, my birthday present to you is that you get to see me as a wolf today."

"You're not going to give me a present at my party?" She asked innocently. Sam and Emily chuckled, but Sarah gasped.

"Claire Hobucket, when someone gives you a gift, even if it isn't wrapped in pretty paper, you say 'thank you,' you don't ask for more and be greedy. Do you understand?" Sarah reprimanded.

"Yes, Mommy," Claire answered.

I glanced at the clock; we were starting to run short on time. "Claire, when I change into a wolf it isn't safe to be around me, you might get hurt." Claire looked up at Emily, and it made me wonder if this intelligent little girl of mine had figured out exactly how Emily had gotten her scars. I continued, "So to be safe, I want you to wait with Emily in the back yard, and I am going to go into the woods a little ways. When I come out I will be a huge brown wolf, the color of your Quil wolf doll here."

"Uh huh" was all Claire said, eyes wide with amazement and wonder.

"I will walk toward you and lie down, and I want you to look into my eyes, ok?"

Claire nodded her head and again responded with a simple, "uh huh."

"When you look into my eyes, and can tell that it's me, then you can come up and pet my head or scratch behind my ears. Would you like that?" I asked her, knowing full well she would love it!

"Oh, yes!" Claire answered this time.

"Then after that if you are still comfortable, and would like a ride around the back yard, your Aunt Emily will help you get on my back for a ride. Sound like a plan?"

"Deal," was all Claire said, but her eyes blazed with excitement.

"Well let's go then!" I said and scooped her up in my arms jogging to the back yard. I set her down and ran into the woods changing out of my clothes quickly before phasing.

I entered Claire's backyard and paused looking directly at Claire, waiting to make sure that she was going to be comfortable. I was pleased and shocked by what I saw. Claire saw me and immediately started jumping up and down with excitement. Emily had a hold on her right wrist, and was trying to keep Claire from running to me right away.

"Remember what Quil said?" Emily tried, "Claire honey, be patient. Remember Quil will walk over and lie down?" Emily couldn't help but laugh as Claire's head went in every direction trying to nod her acknowledgement and look back and forth between Emily and myself.

"I should have gotten a bigger card for video," Sam lamented through his laughter.

A chuckle of satisfaction rumbled through me; Claire truly was my little wolf girl! I went towards them and laid down a few feet in front of Claire looking directly at her. I smiled a little making sure my teeth weren't showing so as not to look scary at all. Claire kept her eyes on mine and as soon as Emily let her go she ran straight towards me.

Claire looked deeply into my eyes and said, "Ariel was right! I can tell it's you from your eyes!" She proceeded to pet my muzzle and scratch behind my ears.

"So Claire, would you like a ride on Quil's back? It's pretty high if he stands up." Emily said while moving towards Claire.

"What do I hold on to so I don't fall?" Claire asked. "If I hold onto his fur will I hurt him?"

"Nah, it doesn't hurt a bit. You can grab as tight as you want Claire." Sam answered her.

Claire leaned over and kissed my nose. Grinning she said, "I won't hurt you, it will be ok."

I had to laugh at the idea of my little tiny seven-year-old Claire being able to hurt me in my wolf form.

As Emily lifted Claire to my back I felt her tiny hands grasping my fur and her new sneakers holding her to my sides. I carefully stood to my full height, and looked to Sam and Emily for a confirmation that Claire was still doing alright. I shouldn't have worried, no sooner had I looked from Sam to Emily than I heard her giggling and felt her lay down towards my ears.

"Can you go really fast?" She whispered to me softly enough that Emily wouldn't hear even right next to us.

I shook my head side to side and took a gentle step forward, and then another. I felt Claire compensating and adjusting her balance just like she did when I gave her rides on my shoulders, or when she rode her bicycle. _That's my wolf girl_, I thought, pleased that I could so freely share this part of my life with Claire. The mind of a child is truly amazing, so accepting, and ready to learn.

I continued walking around the yard with Emily following next to us and Sam snapping pictures. I saw them look at each other a few times, and could almost hear their hopeful thoughts of Sam giving his future children rides on his back. We continued on and only twice did I speed up fast enough to leave Emily a bit behind, much to Claire's delight.

I heard the sound of the door and saw Sarah and Daniel standing there watching us, watching their daughter in awe as she reveled in the enjoyment of the ride. Sarah shook her head as if to clear it and called, "Breakfast is ready! Claire, it's your favorite, chocolate chip waffles!"

With Sarah's announcement and the wonderfully sweet aromas wafting from the house, I knelt down and then rested on the ground so that Claire could get down. As soon as she was down she came up to my face, hugged me around the neck as best she could and said, "Thank you real Quil wolf," and kissed my nose again.

I nodded and turned to the woods to change elated by the experience!

Even I, who thought she would do well, was awestruck by her calm acceptance. I was constantly amazed by this little girl, and was so excited that I was able to share this road of discovery with Claire throughout her life.


	8. Chapter 8 Groundhog Day

Chapter 8 Groundhog Day

**Thanks to Imma Vampire and 1drtwins for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Claire turned 8 on the 5****th**** Aug 2011, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he's really going to turn 22 on 2 Feb 2012.**

Chapter 8 Groundhog Day

Time is such an arbitrary thing. Our perception can change so much; one hour can seem to take forever, while another hour slipping away so fast that it seems to be hardly any time at all. Six years seemed to have flown by in one respect yet it was so full of a myriad of experiences that it seems enough to fill an amount of time twice that long. Although being a werewolf, I was sleeping a great deal less than I had been before. Maybe it was all the extra hours in the day filled with thoughts of the experiences of the rest of the pack that seemed to make my life feel so much fuller.

Had it really been six years? No, it had been five years and seven months since I had imprinted on Claire. She had been two, almost three years old at the time, and now Claire is in the third grade, eight and a half years old. Something has changed in the past four or five months. Claire has matured in a significant way that is difficult for me to explain. I had tried discussing it with Sarah and she spoke like I would need a child development class to fully understand the differences between a seven year old and an eight year old, but she assured me it was all normal things. She had pulled out an old textbook and shown me something that said "concrete operational stage," but without reading the entire chapter, it seemed a bit incomprehensible.

What Sarah had mostly succeeded in doing was getting me to contemplate my own existence. I had questions of how, why, and what of the happenings of my life. Was I really sixteen, was that just my physical state? How much of my body stayed the same, just my muscles and bones? Would this birthday really be twenty-two for me, or would I actually stay the same? How much of my brain and body would be affected by this lack of aging as a werewolf?

I had been so caught up with Claire over the last five and a half years that I haven't really had much thought of girls and average teenage things like dating. It was almost as if the imprinting on Claire had shut down the normal teenage reactions, and I was much more subdued. I think "hormonally castrated" was the crass term that Paul had used a few years ago. It made me wonder if I was in a true holding stage like being frozen in time, and if I would suddenly awaken the same as before. Would it be more like a chrysalis where I would emerge something totally different? It was also possible that I wasn't really being held or stalled in time; that I had actually shifted and would never return to a state of being as before.

I sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean as the waves rolled in below me, an endless stream of waves matching the endless stream of thoughts rolling in and crashing over me. I knew I had changed. I knew I was more patient, more understanding. I also remembered the overwhelming hormones and the reactions my body had experienced before I had phased the first time. After I had phased, I was so elated to finally be a part of what everyone else had already experienced, so excited by my new body and the possibilities that I never really had taken the time to ponder how fully this would affect my life. Was that lack of thinking all part of being a teenager? Had I mellowed with age, was I really more like the twenty-two year old my driver's license said I would be in a few days? Had the experiences really matured me enough to be in reality twenty-two, or were parts of my brain stuck at the developmental stage of sixteen just like the aging process had stalled for my body?

Picking up a rock from beside me and tossing it out into the ocean, I got to the deeper reason I was sitting on this cliff pondering my life and my existence. My grandfather's health had steadily been declining lately; he had been attempting to pass the wisdom of his age and experience on to me. He also had been concerned with my ability to care for myself and to care for Claire at a later time. I guess I had really been putting off thoughts of how I would "earn my keep in this world" as my grandfather had put it.

When I had graduated from high school, I was completely involved with Claire on a daily basis, and did not want to miss a minute of time that I could have with her. At that time Claire was only four years old though, and I could spend all day with her. She was now in school seven hours a day, and had been for a couple of years. My grandfather seemed to enjoy pointing this out to me every day lately.

In the past few years I had gotten spending money mostly from odd jobs and bets I had won from other pack members and frankly a bit of mooching off the Cullens, although they never seemed to mind. That was not a respectable way to live according to my grandfather. He also liked to remind me that time would slip by and before I knew it, the time would come when I would need to support a wife. When I had repeatedly reminded him that Claire was only eight years old, he had enlisted Daniel's help.

Daniel had been showing me facts and figures on businesses and the average length of time until steady dependable income could be expected from a small business. The average business taking a good ten years before it became financially viable. He then reminded me that ten years from now Claire would be eighteen, and in her first year of college. That was the concept that had gotten me out here on the top of this cliff pondering my existence today. The thought of Claire passing me by had me a little fearful. Could it be possible that she would outgrow me? What if I waited, stagnant for sixteen years, and she decided I wasn't enough for her? This fear had gotten me really thinking for the first time in years.

College was never something that appealed to me much, but I knew there were things that were beneficial for me to learn to be successful. I knew I did not want to be away from Claire for four years, and there were not colleges close enough to live at home. I had considered the idea of waiting for Claire to graduate high school and going to college together, but that didn't really seem practical. Sarah had taken some college courses online. She had told me of some programs where you could earn your entire degree online; so far that seemed like the most appealing option if I was going to get more education.

Sarah had given me a few things to consider as well. She had asked me many thought-provoking questions, but there were two that really stayed with me. One was where I wanted to live, and the other was whether I wanted Claire to be required to work, or if I wanted to offer her a choice. These really weren't that difficult for me to answer, but they would significantly affect any decisions I would make. First, I knew I wanted to stay in La Push. Second, I knew I wanted to be able to provide for Claire enough that it would not force her to work or to do without the necessities of life. I guess that really did narrow my choices down and bring things into focus for me.

I picked up another rock, one that fit well into the palm of my hand, and really studied it with my eyes as I let my mind continue to wander over the possibilities ahead of me. Thoughts passed through my head quickly as I thought of my talents, strengths, weaknesses, likes, and personality, trying to match them up with things I could possibly do for work.

Web design was the thing that kept coming back into my thoughts. I liked using the computer, and with the internet connection, I could work from home. It would give me a variety of projects and let me be creative at the same time. I had seen an online school with a degree in information technologies, and thought that it would be good to know how to fix computers. Pretty much everyone had a computer, and repair services were far away and expensive. I enjoyed fixing things, and computers were definitely cleaner than cars. If I started my own computer repair business, I could do different things each day, and wouldn't have to work a set nine-to-five schedule. I could work it around Claire's schedule and my pack obligations. I also would have plenty of time to go to school, and have a business past the first few rough years before Claire graduated from high school.

Suddenly things started to feel better, like pieces of a puzzle that just really began to fit into place together. My gloom seemed to lift and I tossed the rock I had been holding out into the ocean. It thrilled me to see how far I had tossed it, and decided I must be more elated than I had been thinking. Relief and joy swept over me as I realized I had figured out what I could enjoy doing while taking care of Claire now and in the future.

I leapt to my feet, tossing off my shorts before phasing. The thrill only got better as I ran back through the woods towards my house. I loved my wolf form, but especially appreciated it when I was running. I felt a power and freedom with the speed that came no other way. I began to think of the impact my decisions would have on Claire, and instinctively changed my course towards her house. I was fairly sure she wouldn't understand the significance of what had transpired for me today, but I couldn't help but want to share it with her. Who knows? She might even have an opinion about it. I chuckled as I remembered her telling me on my high school graduation day, that I didn't have her permission to leave for college.

As I neared her house I could hear the sounds, and smell the aromas that let me know school was indeed let out for the day and that Claire was home. I was tempted to go to her backyard and bark for her to join me on a short run. I wasn't sure if her parents would be bothered by that or not, but to me, today definitely felt like a special occasion. I was too excited, and with the impulsive emotions that I would blame on still being sixteen if I needed to, I went to the edge of her backyard and let out a short howl followed by three quick barks. This was my signal to Claire when I was in wolf form that I was speaking to her.

Claire ran out the backdoor almost instantly as if she had been sitting and waiting for me to arrive. Sarah was hot on her trail and called out when Claire was about halfway across the yard in a full run towards me. "Quil, don't be gone too long with her. Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes." She then added, "I made enough, would you like to join us?"

I stepped further into the yard so she could see me as I nodded my head up and down in a large clear motion indicating that I would like to have dinner with them. I then knelt down for Claire to climb up onto my back. I hadn't given her too many rides since that first one on her seventh birthday, but like so many things with us, Claire climbing onto my back and holding onto my fur was almost instinctual.

"I'm serious! Twenty minutes you two or I'm sending Leah out after you!" Sarah called from the backdoor of the house.

As I turned and began a slow walk into the forest Claire leaned down close to my ears, held more firmly onto my fur and said, "You can run if you want. I can hold on tight."

I answered with a coughing bark of a laugh and increased my speed to a slow jog. I was in far too good of a mood for a simple slow walk through the forest today.

Claire squealed with delight before giving me instructions. "Okay, Quil. I will ask you a question, and then I want you to bark one time if the answer is yes, and two times if it's no."

I coughed another laugh before answering her with a single bark.

"Is today a special occasion?" She began.

I barked once.

"Do I get any presents?" She asked with excitement.

I shuddered with laughter as I barked twice.

"Oh," she said sounding a little disappointed. "Well, is it a holiday today?"

I barked twice for no again.

"That's right, the next holiday on our calendar at school is Groundhog Day, and that's your birthday, February second."

I barked once in agreement.

"Is it something special for just us?" Claire asked.

I barked once, figuring that since she and I would be the two most affected by my decision, it was close enough.

"Is it something for your birthday?"

I barked twice and as much fun as I was having with her odd game of twenty questions, it was frustrating to not be able to tell her. I slowed down to a walk and knelt on the ground for her to slide down.

"Do you want me to wait right here and not move so you can change?" Claire asked me. Even though we had not done this often, she was a very smart girl with an excellent memory, and knew the routine.

I barked once to let her know the answer was yes before slipping behind a very large tree and phasing back. I slipped on my shorts very quickly, and called out to Claire to let her know I was no longer in my wolf form. "Claire, do you want to hear my good news?"

"Sure I do, Quil!" Claire answered as I came back around the tree and into sight.

I sat at the base of the tree and patted my leg for her to sit down. "Well, I've decided what I want to be when I grow up!" I said putting it in terms she was used to.

"Cool! What is it? A firefighter?" She answered excitedly.

"Huh, I hadn't really even thought about that one," I responded taken aback for a moment. I shook my head to clear it and then said, "No, I want to fix computers and design web sites!"

Claire pursed her lips and looked down at her fingers. I noticed they were suddenly clenched together and she was wringing her hands nervously for some reason. I waited a few moments for her to begin speaking. "Does that mean you will have to go away? Will you have to leave for college and stuff?"

"Claire, my little wolf girl, I said this was good news! If I had to leave it wouldn't be good news would it?" I asked her.

"No, but sometimes grown ups say it's good news, when it sucks for kids," she responded a little more relaxed, but still wary.

I laughed at that. "Good thing I'm only sixteen and not a grown up then, right?" I teased.

She laughed, "Yeah, good thing."

"Well, Claire, I wanted you to be the first to know because you are my favorite person in the whole world!" I told her honestly. "But if we don't get back on time, your mom won't let us do this again, so we had better hurry." I lifted her off my lap and stood her next to me before getting up and going behind the tree to remove my shorts and phase back into my wolf form. I came back out and knelt again for her to climb onto my back.

She climbed up and immediately leaned over towards my ears, ready for speed from the start. "Do you think we are late enough that we have to run this time?" Claire asked with hopefulness in her voice.

I began with a swift jog, and after answering her with an affirmative bark, took off in a half speed run that had her hair flowing out behind her, whipping in the wind created by the slow run.

Claire laughed with delight shaking her hair out in the breeze. "I love you, Quil. You're my favorite wolf boy in the whole world!"

The elation that raced through me at that was unavoidable, and I sped faster knowing she would know I was responding with happiness to her words.

The dinner Sarah had made was one of my favorites, lasagna with salad and garlic bread, and she had made enough to feed an army, so there were still leftovers even after I had eaten all I could. The dinner was nice, and I discussed with Daniel and Sarah my plans for school over the internet, with the idea of working from home after graduating. They seemed not only to approve, but to be a little impressed at the amount of thought I had put into the decision. I told them it was probably due to the fact that I wasn't making the decision like the average sixteen year old.

oOo

A few days later it was February second, Groundhog Day, and my birthday. It began way too early. At precisely 6:00 a.m., I woke up to the song "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher. As I reached over to hit the off button on my alarm clock, I realized it had been replaced with a CD alarm clock, and there was something blocking my way to the off button, or even the snooze button. I grabbed the object, and realized it was a DVD of that old movie _Groundhog Day_ with Bill Murray. I groaned and put it on the nightstand before turning off the alarm clock. I heard bursts of laughter and looked up to see Embry, Jacob, Leah and Seth in my doorway.

"Happy sweet sixteen birthday boy!" Embry called out, which sent the others into more fits of laughter.

"Go away!" I yelled as I picked up my shoe and flung it at them for waking me up so early. "Jacob, you're sixteen too, why are you harassing me about it?" I asked.

"Hey, it's not my fault there is a movie about your birthday," he called out. They all thought it was hilarious that I wasn't aging, in essence repeating the same days over and over like in the movie _Groundhog Day_, and that my birthday was on Groundhog Day. Most of the rest of the pack that hadn't imprinted weren't aging either, but they didn't get this treatment. I now had at least thirteen copies of this movie since so many people thought it would be funny to give me a movie about my birthday, and I hadn't bothered to get rid of the extra movies.

"Well, the alarm wasn't just for the fun of it." Seth said, "You have some visitors here for your birthday."

"I see you fatheads every day, I don't need you to wake me up at 6:00 a.m. to see your ugly mugs," I responded with my head buried under my pillow.

"Not them, it's us!" called out a cute little voice that immediately had me awake and in a better mood.

"Claire!" I called out. I moved the pillow off my head, and looked out to see that Claire was carrying in a tray with a breakfast on it of Eggo waffles and scrambled eggs. Sarah was right behind her with a gallon jug of orange juice.

"I made you breakfast!" Claire exclaimed with excitement bubbling over so that she was practically bouncing.

"Thank you so much my little wolf girl!" I said with a huge smile in her direction.

"We are sorry to have to wake you up so early, but Claire wanted to have time to eat breakfast with you before she got ready for school," Sarah explained.

"So, you're not very hungry today then, huh?" I joked with Claire as I looked at the single platter she had brought in with two forks. On the platter was what looked like a whole box of waffles and a dozen eggs.

"Oh, I'm hungry; I just couldn't carry two plates at first, so you are going to have to wait for me to go get another one." Claire answered.

I took the platter from her and pulled her up next to me. "I can share with you today, even if you are hungry." We settled in and Sarah handed me the juice and a couple of cups.

"I left my food out there, so I need to go save it if I'm going to be able to get anything to eat this morning," Sarah said before leaving to head towards the kitchen. She returned in just a moment and sat on the end of my bed to eat.

"Wow Claire, this is a really great breakfast! Which part did you help make?" I asked her.

Claire looked a bit offended. She crossed her arms across her chest and said, "I didn't _help_ make the breakfast! I did it, Mommy just helped move the chair over and turn on the stove!"

My eyes widened and I looked over at Sarah. She nodded her head confirming what Claire had said.

"Wow, that's awesome, and I'm sorry Claire. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just that these eggs taste way better than I have ever been able to make mine taste. They taste as good as the eggs your mom cooks, so I just thought she had made them. I had no idea you were learning to cook. Do you forgive me?" I asked with a hopeful look on my face.

"Oh yes, Quil, I forgive you," she responded with a smile.

"So why don't you tell me all about how you learned to make breakfast?" I suggested figuring it would be easier to have her tell me the whole story than to keep guessing incorrectly.

"Well, I was at Aunt Emily's with Mommy, Marc, and Skye a while ago, and Mommy was helping Aunt Emily cook for a pack party." She paused to take a bite of waffle and then continued, "I was asking about why they were cooking so much, and Aunt Emily said that it was because all the boys are always as hungry as wolves." She giggled and looked over to Sarah who winked back at Claire. Skye hadn't really been told about any of the werewolf things, and Claire was enjoying sharing a secret with her mom. "Then I asked Aunt Emily if she thought that maybe I should learn how to cook too. Aunt Emily said if I was going to be a wolf girl that it would be a good idea for me to learn how to cook so I could make sure I had enough to eat."

"I believe she said it was easier to eat while you cook it, because usually nobody wants to help with that part, right Claire?" Sarah added.

Claire laughed remembering that too, "Yeah and Skye asked how come I have to learn how to cook just because I have a Quil wolf toy." Claire looked at me and we laughed about Skye's comment. "Mommy and Aunt Emily have been teaching me how to cook eggs so I could make them for you on your birthday!"

"Well you did a fantastic job Claire! What time did you have to wake up this morning to make breakfast?" Sarah made a snorting scoff as Claire looked down sheepishly.

"Mommy got me my own clock last week so I could practice waking up on time," she admitted.

I looked at Sarah with a questioning look; waking up usually wasn't the problem. "I got her the alarm clock so she wouldn't have to worry about sleeping too late and missing anything." Sarah chuckled and added, "And I also gave her the clock and told her she had to wait until 5:00 a.m. before she was allowed to come out of her room."

I laughed at that one. Claire often had trouble staying asleep when she was excited about something the next day. I casually wondered if that was something she would ever outgrow.

We had finished eating by then, and all got up to take the dishes to the sink. As we got into the front room on our way to the kitchen, we could see that the entire room was covered in pink, glittery decorations touting the sentiments "Sweet Sixteen" and "Happy 16th Birthday" and I just rolled my eyes. Claire however looked confused.

She looked at the decorations, and then at me, and then looked at the decorations again her brows kitting together as she paused deep in thought. I noticed and asked her, "Claire do you need some help with something?" Wondering how best to explain this one to her in the five minutes left before she needed to leave to go get ready for school.

"Uh…I don't…" She looked around the room and back at me, "I don't understand about those," she said pointing at the decorations.

I picked her up with one arm, and walked her into the kitchen so we could put the dishes in the sink, which was now empty of dishes and amazingly clean! I looked up and Sarah responded to my questioning look with a, "happy birthday," and a small laugh.

I took Claire back into the front room and told her, "You know how there are things that are different about me because I can turn into a wolf?" She nodded. "Well, as long as I keep turning into a wolf, my body doesn't get any older. So it's kind of like I turn sixteen every year," I answered her.

"What?" She gasped, "I was just wondering why they are all girl decorations! You are going to be sixteen again and again?" Claire's face was total shock; I had obviously misread what her actual question was. I was going to have to discuss this with her more later.

"Sarah, would you mind if I picked up Claire today? I have a feeling she will want to talk to me after school, am I right?" I asked looking first at Sarah for permission and then at Claire for confirmation.

"Sure, would you mind picking up Skye as well, and then dropping her off first?" Sarah asked me.

"No problem," I answered then turned to Claire to ask for her help. "Claire, I'm sorry about this, but it's time for you to go to school, do you think you can wait until after school is over and we can talk about this?" She nodded at me. "Can you keep this a sacred trust like we talked about?"

"Sure Quil, I won't tell anyone at school. But do you promise to tell me after school about being sixteen again?"

"I promise." I assured her, and with that helped her to the car.

10


	9. Chapter 9 Sweet Sixteen?

Chapter 9 Sweet Sixteen?

**Thanks to 1DRTWINS and Whippit for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Claire turned 8 on the 5****th**** Aug 2011, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he's really going to turn 22 on 2 Feb 2012.**

Chapter 9 Sweet Sixteen?

Pink, glittery decorations proclaiming "Sweet Sixteen" and "Happy 16th Birthday" were covering the front room. They were sort of a tormenting type of running joke for each of our birthdays. We had tons of them, enough to almost cover every inch of wall in the front room. Oh, we complained pretty heavily when it was our birthday, but we sure enjoyed putting them up for the other guys when it was their birthday. I'm sure I had purchased at least twenty percent of the decorations myself. I just hadn't ever thought it would bring up an issue with Claire. I also didn't anticipate her cooking breakfast for me at eight years old either.

I grabbed my keys and headed towards the door to pick up Skye and Claire from school. As I drove to their school, I tried to firm up the plans in my mind. I still wasn't exactly sure what to say to her, but I knew I could begin by taking her for a ride in my wolf form. It had only been about a week since the last time, but it was my birthday, and that definitely qualified it as a special occasion. If I took her for a ride it would seem more magical or mystical, and far-fetched ideas like staying eternally sixteen seemed like they made more sense in that environment.

I pulled up in front of the school and only had to wait a few minutes for Claire and Skye. Claire got in the truck and slid over to the middle with Skye climbing in after her. "Happy Birthday, Quil," Sky said. "How old are you now? Still 'old as dirt' like last year?" She asked with a laugh. Claire looked up at me with her eyes wide and her lips tightly pressed together.

"Yeah, pretty much," I answered Skye with a wink at Claire. Claire giggled at me and quickly glanced over her shoulder to see if Skye had caught on to the inside information we shared, but Skye was just looking out the window partially bored.

"So Claire, are you all ready to go for a ride like last week, or will you need to change your clothes?" I asked her looking up at the thin layer of clouds to see what the chance of rain looked like for this afternoon.

She gasped and whipped her head around to look in my direction, "Really?" She asked me in shock, "We can really go for a ride today?"

"What's the big deal? We're going for a ride right now. I don't see how you can get so excited to ride around in this crummy old truck anyway." Skye responded still looking out the window.

I winked at Claire and she giggled answer Skye with a quick, "Well, I like to go fast."

Skye shrugged and said, "Whatever," in a way that left it clear she was both clueless and bored with the conversation. At times I had wondered if she might be a little jealous of the attention I paid to Claire, but it almost always left Skye with more time alone with her parents. She had a very close relationship with them.

We pulled into the driveway and Skye hopped out the instant the truck came to a full stop. I turned to Claire and asked her, "So do you need to change, or just put your bag away and get a snack?" She hesitated a bit too long.

"I would bet that you are hungry, but so excited you're thinking about going without any snack," I suggested. "Am I right?"

She hung her head down and answered with an almost inaudible, "Yes."

"Why don't we go inside and make a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and we can eat them in the truck on our way?" I said, "I'll race you inside…"

With that she let out a squeal of delight, grabbed her backpack and ran inside.

We ate our sandwiches on the way over to the Cullen's house and parked there to go for our ride. I once again followed our routine of going into the forest to change and quickly coming back for Claire. She climbed on my back and held on for speed. I didn't think I could ever get used to how comfortable she was about everything that was so strange and unusual in my life.

We traveled into the forest a short distance until we came to a fallen tree that would work well for a bench as we had our conversation. I set Claire down carefully, and quickly went to change. Coming back to where Claire was standing, I lifted her up onto the makeshift bench and hopped up to join her.

"So Claire, why don't we start by you asking what you want to know about, and I can answer your questions," I began.

"This morning you said that you keep turning into a wolf so your body doesn't get any older and that it's like you turn sixteen every year. How does that work?" She asked.

"I'm not exactly sure how it works. I do know that our blood helps us heal really fast. I would guess that it helps all the parts of our body heal so fast that we never actually get older, but that's really just a guess."

"Are you always going to be sixteen…forever?" She asked, her head cocked to the side, looking inquisitively into my eyes.

"No. If I stop changing into a wolf for a while, I can get older." I paused before adding, "But I don't really want to get any older right now." I told her with a slight shrug.

"Is it because you want to be like Peter Pan?" Claire asked with a laugh.

I smiled down at my little Claire; she was so cute and silly. There was no way at eight years old that I would fully explain to her my hopes for us to one day be married. I answered with a simple, "No."

Claire narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side pulling her mouth into a contemplative pout. She looked at me for several seconds before she said, with a thoughtful tone, "You know, if you keep being sixteen, and I keep getting older, I'm going to catch up to you." She suddenly sat up straight, her eyes getting wide and a huge grin spreading across her face showing her deep dimples. She raised her eyebrows and said in almost a teasing voice, "I could be older than you, Quil!"

I had to laugh at her excitement over that thought. "Would you like to be older than me?" I asked her with a wink.

"That would be totally fun!" Claire exclaimed. "I could drive you around in my car, and stay up later than you do. I could even tell you what to do, and you would do it!" Her maniacal side was in full force today.

"Claire, I already do everything you want me to do now. You don't need to be older for me obey your commands princess Claire," I said in a playful voice, reminding her of our little game that her parents didn't really appreciate.

"Oh, that's right servant boy," Claire said standing up and acting regal. "I command you to take me for a wolf ride, please," She ended with an adorable smile to which I couldn't help but respond.

I bowed low and in a slight accent said, "If her highness will wait here for one moment, I will send the wolf for her." I quickly ran behind a tree removed my clothes, tucked them into the leather cord wrapped around my ankle, and phased. I walked in my wolf form over to Claire and knelt down for her to climb on my back. She seemed deep in thought, so I proceeded at a slow walk so that her inattention wouldn't cause her to fall.

Claire was quiet for almost half of the trip before she took a deep breath and asked, "Quil, are you going to be sixteen when I am sixteen? Please bark once for yes or two times for no."

I barked once, and felt her relax almost immediately. She then positioned herself in her much more standard way leaning down across by back with her face up near my neck.

Claire took in a deep breath and let out a big sigh before whispering, "Good," into my ear. With her face now pressed against my neck I could feel the muscles in her face pull into a wide smile and her hands grab tighter onto my fur. "Can we run now? I feel happy."

I barked once and took off at a fast jogging pace. I was thrilled at how happy Claire was with the idea that, at least physically, we would someday be the same age.

oOo

Sam and Emily threw a birthday party for me at their place that night. Both packs were there along with Claire and her family. I received a few gifts, but the one that stood out the most was the gift from Daniel and Sarah.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything," I insisted as Sarah handed me a large, blue-wrapped box about the size of a case of apples.

"Don't be silly," Sarah insisted, "it's your birthday."

I unwrapped the gift and opened the box to find a present wrapped in green paper and just a few inches smaller in size to the blue-wrapped box. I looked at the green present a little confused and this sent Claire into a squealing fit of laughter.

"There's more! There's more, open it up!" Claire exclaimed jumping up and down clapping her hands with joy.

I chuckled at Claire's obvious enjoyment of the joke, and unwrapped the green gift to find a red one. "There is another one?" I asked with pretend shock which sent Claire into another fit of squealing laughter. This continued on several more times until I reached a small present the size of a one-pound candy bar. I unwrapped the balloon-covered "Happy Birthday" paper to find it was in fact a one pound Symphony bar with almonds and toffee, and had an envelope slipped under the wrapper.

"I picked out the candy bar!" Claire called out bouncing in place and clapping her hands.

"Thank you my little wolf girl! You remembered my favorite," I answered back with a satisfied smile. This was one I was going to really enjoy. I set the candy bar to the side so it wouldn't immediately begin to melt from the heat of my hands.

"Mommy and Daddy got you the card, but I told them it was too small, so they helped me get the candy bar. It was Mommy's idea for all the presents," Claire finished with a hop, pointing at her mom.

I reached for the envelope and opened it to find a birthday card that had a drawing of an Indian maiden with a wolf on the cover and a folded piece of paper inside. I read the sentiment that Sarah had obviously written, and then unfolded the piece of paper. The paper was some kind of form. It took me a few seconds to read through, and process that it was actually a receipt. The form had the return address of the school with the online courses and my name listed with a paid enrollment to my first class.

"I hope you can start school next week," Daniel said. "We were just trying to find out the cost, and discovered that, with just a bit more information from your mom, we were able to enroll you and save you the few hours of duplicating our efforts."

"I…I'm totally in shock. I don't…uh…thanks so much!" I stammered, completely stunned by their beyond generous gift. "Thank you! I can't believe you did this for me."

"Well you do so much for us all the time without ever asking anything in return," Sarah responded.

"Yeah, nothing but your second born," Jacob joked causing everyone to laugh.

I flushed a little at that comment and glanced up at Daniel and Sarah. I was pleased to see they were laughing at my expense along with everyone else. "Well, this affects her too. We figured since it took four years for Quil to decide what he wanted to do, Claire might be done with college before Quil if he didn't have a little push to get him started," Daniel teased.

I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable with the ribbing, but the gift was so generous that I couldn't help but smile and express my appreciation again.

I may be sixteen again, but I was on the road to becoming a more mature, better educated sixteen-year-old.


	10. Chapter 10 Merry Christmas

Chapter 10 Merry Christmas

**Thanks to Imma Vampire, Whippit, & 1DRTWINS for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Thanks to Whippit's daughter for the jokes and inspiration.**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Claire turned 9 on the 5****th**** Aug 2012, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 22 on 2 Feb 2012.**

Chapter 10 Merry Christmas

I could hardly wait for Christmas to arrive. I had been working on Claire's gift for months now, and I just knew she would love it. I nicknamed it "the dollhouse" merely for cover, but the only doll that would own this house was Claire.

Claire had been struggling with sharing a room with her older sister Skye. There seemed to be a bit of a shift in the sisterly dynamics after Claire's latest birthday. I guess something about Skye being twelve and Claire being nine had created more bickering between the two of them. I actually came over one evening in September to find a line of bright blue painters' tape marking off their room into two halves.

That was when I got the idea to build a tree house for Claire for Christmas. These girls needed some time apart from each other, and Claire needed a space of her own. Of course since putting on the roof and closing in the walls, I had slept in her tree house almost as much as my own house.

I was building it as fast as I could manage without detection. I would bring boards three or four at a time, spacing out the work throughout each day so that I wouldn't be discovered. I used as many weather-resistant materials as I could, mostly the ones involving plastics, to try to protect "the dollhouse" from being destroyed by the constant rainy conditions. Today's building material was linoleum.

Let me tell you that sneaking an eight-by-eight-foot roll of linoleum into the woods is not very easy. Boards can be explained fairly easily because the possibilities for their use are so varied. There is only one thing this type linoleum is used for, and that is flooring. Yet I somehow managed to get it to Claire's "dollhouse" without being detected.

There were certain times when I truly enjoyed my werewolf abilities. Strength and agility really came in handy building Claire's tree house, and today was no exception. I had built the tree house between two very large, old trees; bracing it mostly on the branches on one tree, and against the trunk of the second tree. The structure supporting the floor had an arch underneath and was flat on the top. Basically I had built a bridge between the two trees, and built the floor on top of the bridge using both the bridge and branches for support. The floor of the tree house was approximately fifteen feet above the ground so that the tree house would be obscured from the ground by the lower branches of the trees, and out of the peripheral vision of even the tallest Quileute walking through the forest.

I had measured very carefully each piece I used in building Claire's "dollhouse" so that the inside floor of the tree house measured exactly eight-by-eight feet square, so the piece of linoleum was supposed to fit precisely like the other pieces had, but whether the cut was off or it shrank with the glue, there was now a small gap in between the flooring and the walls on all sides. With only four days until Christmas I now needed to add baseboards to the "dollhouse." I glanced at the clock to check the time; I had an hour and forty-five minutes before I needed to be on patrol. I would be cutting it close, but I might have time to get them before patrol. I raced to the home improvement store and chose some plastic molded baseboards that would hold up to the weather and still look great. I got back to my house and dropped off my truck, using a tarp to cover the boards in the back of the truck.

I was a few minutes late, not too bad. I raced to the woods slipping out of my clothes and phasing before meeting up with the others.

_Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Ken doll_, Leah teased me as I caught up with them.

_Sorry, I had to run an errand. It ran a little long_, I thought back in response. I then thought about a picture of a dollhouse I had cut from a magazine and a set of plans for a dollhouse I had downloaded from the internet.

_It's almost Christmas, aren't you done with that Barbie dream house yet?_ Embry's question came.

The taunting came like this steadily through the patrol. Luckily I had finished the Barbie-and-Ken-sized dollhouse a month ago. I know that Claire wouldn't be nearly as impressed or pleased with the Barbie-sized dollhouse as her tree house, but it was a present she could open in front of her family and the pack. Keeping the tree house a secret from the pack was difficult enough without the cover of the actual dollhouse.

oOo

It was half an hour past midnight on Christmas morning as I knocked lightly on Daniel and Sarah's door. I had told them of my gift of a dollhouse for Claire, and they had been so excited about it that Daniel had suggested I come over late on Christmas Eve to bring it over and set it up in the living room so Claire could see it first thing.

"Wow, I can't believe that thing! How big is it?" Daniel asked me as he opened the door to let me in with the dollhouse.

"Small enough to fit through the door," I joked back.

"If you walk sideways," Sarah tossed in. "You had better hurry and get that set before Claire wakes up again."

I began a soft chuckle, "Has she woken up already?" I knew of Claire's tendency to wake up several times throughout the night when she was excited about something the next day.

"You know Claire, just the usual once every hour to check and see if it's morning yet," Daniel said.

I set down the dollhouse to the side of the Christmas tree and let them know I had one more run out to my truck for the cover. I quickly returned with a dryer box wrapped in Christmas paper covered in snowmen and sporting a big red bow. I had cut the bottom off the box before I wrapped it so that it could be placed over the dollhouse with ease. I swiftly slipped the box over the doll house that was resting on the floor. "This is mostly so Claire won't see her present until it is revealed to her rather than in an hour when she wakes up again."

"You do know her," Sarah laughed. "Actually, she is on schedule to wake up in about fifteen more minutes, so we had better get to bed.

Daniel glanced out the window, turned to me and said, "Quil, it just started snowing. Were you headed back to your Mom's or your place? Because if no one is expecting you, you could just sleep on the spare bed in Marc's room if you'd like."

I had slept on the couch often enough that they had gotten an extra long twin size bed for me and put it in Marc's room. It was longer than the bed I had at my place so I often would nap here after spending the afternoon with Claire. "Actually I was hoping you would ask me to stay. I think I may be even more excited about this Christmas than Claire."

"Good, then we won't have to worry about you driving in the snow," Sarah said.

"Thanks. Hey, I was wondering about taking Claire for a ride if she wakes up early, would that be alright with you two?" I asked.

"Sure, and if you could arrange it so that we could sleep in until seven, that would be great!" Daniel said with an enthusiastic smile.

"Sure, no problem," I said as I grabbed the duffel bag I had brought in on my last trip, and headed towards Marc's room. I fell asleep almost the instant I hit the pillow, and woke what felt like seconds later to a soft, petite hand smoothing my hair back from my face.

"Quil, is it Christmas yet?" Claire whispered to me.

I glanced over at the clock to see that it read ten minutes past four. That would give me almost three hours to show Claire her real present. "Sure Claire," I whispered back, "Would you like to go for a ride first?"

She nodded excitedly.

I whispered, "Go get dressed and to make sure and get your coat, gloves, and hat. Be quiet and don't wake up Skye, okay?"

"Okay, Santa Quil, I'll be right back," She whispered to me.

I laughed at her new nickname for me as I got up to go for a run. I was sleeping in a pair of cutoff sweats, so I was ready to phase. I glanced out the window and noticed that there were about two inches of snow on the ground with a few light flurries falling. Claire was back in two minutes, all dressed for a ride outside in the winter weather. "Let's go," I whispered as soon as she came back.

"I have a surprise just for you Claire," I said with great suspense before opening the back door to a snow covered back yard.

"Wow, Quil! How did you DO this?" Claire asked in amazement as she took in the snow covering the trees and ground. "It looks like when Lucy went into wardrobe in the _Chronicles of Narnia_!"

I laughed softly and ruffled the hat on her head, "Magic my little wolf girl! I ordered up a white Christmas just for you...just kidding; it's just a lucky coincidence. You know I would if I could though, right?"

"Uh huh. Hurry and change, I have more jokes for you," Claire said loosing a little of the miniscule amount of patience she had this Christmas morning.

"Okay, but since there is snow on the ground, you are going to need to walk with me and wait in the woods just a bit. I can't have the paw-prints showing in the snow," I said as I picked her up and walked across the backyard and about ten feet into the forest, setting her down next to a large tree. "Wait here, I'll be right back," I told her as I went around to the other side of the tree, slipped of my sweats and phased.

Once Claire was on by back she began telling me her jokes. "A boy in my class told me this one, it is a dirty joke."

I stiffened a little and let out a short noise somewhere between a grunt and a growl. She is in fourth grade for Pete's sake. What little degenerate is telling her dirty jokes in the fourth grade?

"Michael fell in the mud," Claire told me and then burst out laughing.

It caught me so off guard that I began coughing with laughter to the point where Claire had to lean over and really tighten her legs and hands around me to stay on my shaking wolf form.

"You liked that one!" Claire stated with satisfaction. "Okay, here is a scary one," She began. "It was a stormy night and the flights were closed. There was only one hotel near the airport with any rooms left, and at that hotel there were three people that still needed a room. The first guy asked for a room and they told him there is only one room left but it is haunted. He said 'I am so tired, and I need to get sleep. I have a meeting for work tomorrow so I'll take it.' He got the key and went into the room. He lay down on the bed and he heard a soft chanting, 'If the log rolls over then we'll all be dead.' He got so scared he ran out the window and fell to the ground. The ambulance came and took him to the hospital. When the second guy saw it, he got up from the chair he was trying to sleep in and said, 'I'll take the room if it's available now.' And the hotel worker was shocked and told him that the room was haunted, and some guy was just so scared that he jumped out of the window from that room. But the guy said he had been traveling for two days and hadn't been able to sleep, and he really needed a bed. So he got the key and went into the room. As soon as he lay down on the bed, he heard a soft chanting 'If the log rolls over then we'll all be dead.' He got so scared that he ran out of the window. The ambulance came and took away the second guy. Then the third guy goes in and he hears the same chanting. 'If the log rolls over then we'll all be dead.' He went near the bathroom door and he heard it even louder 'If the log rolls over then we'll all be dead.' He went into the bathroom and saw three ants on a piece of poop who were chanting 'If the log rolls over then we'll all be dead.' So he flushed the toilet and went to sleep." Claire finished her second joke giggling like crazy.

I shook my head and laughed at how much she was enjoying herself. I think Embry had told that joke to us on patrol just last month. I guess he has the sense of humor of a fourth grader.

"Okay I have one more joke, and this one is a blonde joke," Claire began. "A blonde is riding on her skateboard with old-fashioned headphones on. She goes to a beauty salon and asks for a haircut. She tells the stylist 'You cannot take off my headphones or I will totally die.' The hairstylist agrees and gets to work. The headphones were in the way so the stylist took them off. The blonde immediately died. The stylist was so confused about how they had really kept the blonde alive. When she put the headphones on she heard 'breathe in, breathe out.'" Claire erupted with laughter again at the idea of someone being so silly. I'd have to tell that one to Jacob, he regularly enjoyed taunting Rosalie with blond jokes.

As we reached the tree house I was coughing with laughter at Claire's amusement with her own jokes. I knelt on the ground indicating it was time for her to slide down so I could change back into my human form. I made the change, excited to show Claire her new "dollhouse."

"So are you ready for your present?" I asked almost bouncing in my excitement.

"Yeah!" Claire exclaimed immediately looking around for where I might have hidden a gift for her to open.

It was then that I noticed my mistake. I had built the ladder for a six-foot, five-inch werewolf not a nine-year old little girl. "Claire, I didn't exactly plan this just right, so I will need to carry you to your gift."

She looked at me with a slightly confused smile on her face. I picked her up against my chest and had her wrap her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. It was too risky to be fifteen feet in the air with Claire at my back. If she slipped, it would be much more difficult to catch her falling off my back than slipping down from the front of me. "Hold on tight Claire, I'm going to climb this tree."

It was at that point that Claire looked up into the tree and could see parts of the underside of the bridge structure and floor. She inhaled a deep breath of awe, "Is it…did you make me a tree house?" She almost squealed with excitement as she hugged my neck with all her might.

I chuckled at her reaction to the idea of a tree house, I knew once she saw it she would be even more excited. I climbed the fifteen feet up to Claire's "dollhouse" in seconds and came up through the hole in the floor. I helped Claire off my neck and onto the tree-house floor. She stood completely still in total shock until I told her, "Claire, you need to move so I can come in too."

"Oh sorry," Claire said in a daze as she moved away from the entry and towards the center of the room.

"Do you like it Claire?" I asked her with a smug smile knowing she did.

She ran to me and hugged me around the waist, "Is this tree house really mine? Did you make this for me?" She asked into my abdomen.

I laughed and picked her up like I used to when she was a toddler holding her with my left arm over my left hip while pointing things out to her with my right hand. I turned so we were facing the way we had entered. "Sure my little wolf girl, look at the sign." There on the pale, bubble-gum pink walls I had painted letters that read "Claire's Dollhouse" on the wall over the entry.

"Oh my goodness!" She shouted, "It's really for me!" She hugged my neck, and I gave her a quick hug back. "But Quil, why did you say dollhouse instead of tree house?"

"Well, I knew you needed some space to yourself. A place where you could color without Marc eating your crayons; where Skye can't bother you with the smell of her nail polish." She crinkled her nose at the thought. "If we called it a tree house, Skye and the wolves might know to look for it out here. If we call it your "dollhouse," then they will just think we are talking about some little toy. They won't know you have a real tree house, and then this can be your special place."

"You know everything about me Quil!" Claire said looking at me with gratitude and admiration.

"So are you ready for the big tour?" I joked with her turning to the rest of the tree house.

"Sure! Let me down so I can see it!" She said wriggling down out of my arms and running to the middle of the room.

I began with the sign over the entry on the west wall and worked in a counter-clockwise direction showing Claire the features of her "dollhouse". Along the south wall there was a white, plastic dresser with four drawers that had bright pink knobs. Next to the dresser, there were two very large bright pink totes; above the totes there was a window with a white shade.

"What are in these?" Claire asked pointing to the dresser and totes.

"Why don't you open them and see?" I responded with a smile.

She opened the top dresser drawer to find an assortment of art supplies; the second held flashlights, batteries, lanterns, and tools left over from my building; the third had a variety of board games and a couple of puzzles; and the fourth had picnic supplies including a tablecloth, plastic cups, paper plates, trash bags and disposable flatware. "We can eat here?" Claire asked upon seeing the last drawer.

"Sure Claire, we'll just have to bring the food with us. We don't want to store any food here or we'll never be able to keep the wolves out," I told Claire with a wink.

Claire opened the first bright pink tote to find a new stuffed wolf very similar to her Quil wolf toy, and a few other random toys. "So this one must be the toy box," Claire stated with certainty. Before opening the other tote and looking at me with a questioning look.

"That tote has an air mattress and bedding for when I was out here building late into the night and needed to get some sleep," I explained.

"Cool, I can sleep out here?" Claire asked excitedly, walking over to the window to look out.

"Well, maybe not for a few years. You are a bit young to be sleeping in the woods alone at night." Claire gave a shiver at the thought of being alone in the woods.

"Quil, we are really high up in the air!" Claire commented with delight at seeing the ground below.

"So you like that part? I thought it should be high enough so any werewolf walking by won't be able to notice it without trying hard to find it. And if they are looking for a 'dollhouse,' they won't be looking fifteen up in the air, will they?" I gave her a conspiratorial wink.

Claire giggled at me then turned around to check out the white plastic patio table and two chairs. "These are like the ones in Aunt Emily's backyard!"

"Yup, that's how I knew they would be strong enough to hold me, and light enough to carry all the way out here," I said sitting down in one of the chairs.

Claire looked out the second window, then up at the purple butterfly clock on the north wall. "Do we have time to work on a puzzle? I love putting together puzzles on Christmas!"

"Absolutely my little wolf girl! Your dad said we could let him sleep in until seven if we wanted. You can go choose one out of the dresser."

Claire went to the third drawer and pulled out a one-thousand piece puzzle of a wolf. "I like this one the best," she said bringing over the puzzle and dumping it onto the table.

We sat putting together the puzzle and making small talk until it was time to go back. "Is it really time to go?" Claire asked a little disappointed.

"You mean you'd rather sit here doing a puzzle with me than open your gifts from Santa Claus?" I asked her incredulously.

"Oh! I was having so much fun that I totally forgot it was Christmas!" Claire said, surprised that she could forget something so important.

"Claire, how could you forget about Christmas?" I asked her in a teasing way before tousling her hair and picking her up for the monkey hug needed to get her down from her "dollhouse." I knew at that moment I had given her the ultimate gift! One that could make her forget all thoughts of Christmas and all her other gifts she would receive. Now that is quite an accomplishment!


	11. Chapter 11 Opening Presents

Chapter 11 Opening Presents

**Thanks to Whippit, Imma Vampire, Birdee18, & 1DRTWINS for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Jokes were found on holidays(dot)caboose(dot)com**

**Claire turned 9 on the 5****th**** Aug 2012, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 22 on 2 Feb 2012.**

Chapter 11 Opening Presents

"_Claire, how could you forget about Christmas?" I asked her in a teasing way before tousling her hair and picking her up for the monkey hug needed to get her down from her "dollhouse." I knew at that moment I had given her the ultimate gift! One that could make her forget all thoughts of Christmas and all her other gifts she would receive. Now that is quite an accomplishment! _

I laughed with happiness as Claire and I descended the tree from her "dollhouse."

"What are you laughing about Quil?" Claire asked me slightly confused.

"I'm just really happy right now. I was hoping you would like your "dollhouse" but I never imagined you would like it so much that it would make you forget about it being Christmas," I said with a satisfied smile and a happy laugh.

Claire hid her face in my neck and said, "Sometimes when I'm with you I forget that there is anybody else in the world except us, especially when you are a wolf. It just feels like magic."

I reached the ground and helped Claire down. I looked into Claire's eyes and said, "I know the feeling, but if we don't get back soon, Skye and Marc might claim all your presents as their own." I gave her a wink to let her know I was teasing her.

"Let's go then, hurry up and get your wolf on!" Claire encouraged.

"Get my wolf on?" I laughed as I went behind the largest tree to change. "Hey Claire, do you have any Christmas jokes?" I called out right before phasing.

Claire climbed up my back and leaned in holding on tightly to my fur. "I know a few jokes for Christmas…umm let me see. Oh, what do elves learn in school?" She was leaning into my ear and I was in a fast jog. I shook my head slightly even though I wouldn't be able to speak to tell her the answer even if I knew the punch-line. "They learn the elf-abet," she finished with a laugh.

I sped up a little and Claire hugged into my neck. "I think this is my favorite Christmas ever!" she told me in my ear before sitting up a bit and saying, "I have another one. Which burns longer, a red candle or a green candle?" She paused and I shook my head slightly again. "Neither silly, candles burn shorter, not longer!" Claire laughed with satisfaction.

"Okay, one more joke." I slowed a little so she would have time to tell it. "What is the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the regular alphabet?" She paused, then answered, "The Christmas alphabet has no L."

I knelt down, and she climbed off my back. I went behind the tree and phased. returning in just my cut-off sweats. I shuffled through some of the last of my wolf tracks, obscuring them, and went over to pick up Claire. "Come on, enough with the stand-up routine, let's go open presents."

We walked into the house and were surprised to find that everyone else was still sleeping. "I'm going to go pretend like I'm sleeping," Claire said with a whispered giggle.

"Alright, me too," I answered her as I silently went back into Marc's room to put on my red shorts and a T-shirt with a melting snowman. Sarah and Daniel had made a special request that I wear a shirt Christmas morning, since they would be taking pictures, and didn't want me half naked in them. Claire had picked out the snowman shirt for me to wear and thought it was hilarious that with my werewolf heat, I would have a cartoon of a melting snowman on my shirt. Claire is evidently going through her comedic stage of development.

I slid onto the guest bed and looked at the ceiling thinking about what a wonderful success Claire's "dollhouse" had been. I was also glad that school was going so well for me that I would be on track to afford to buy Claire a real house by the time she was old enough to be married. School was interesting for me since all I really needed to study were the things directly related to the work I was interested in. It was flexible, so I was able to arrange my studying time around my patrols, work, Claire, and even construction projects. I had been able, with my most recent class, to finish up my first year of school work.

"Santa came!" Marc exclaimed, breaking me out of my reverie. I looked over at his three-year-old grin, then watched him climb down off his toddler bed and come over to me. "Come on, Santa came…let's go!"

"Why don't you go see if your mommy and daddy are awake first," I suggested to Marc, thinking that Sarah and Daniel might respond better if Marc woke them up than if I did. He ran to their door and knocked; I glanced over to the clock to see it was a few minutes past seven. I only waited a matter of seconds before all three Hobucket children came running past the door.

Sarah popped her head in the door soon after and said, "Quil, thank you so much for keeping Claire busy this morning!" Daniel appeared next to her and hugged her from behind nuzzling her ear as she continued, "I don't think we've been able to sleep in this late on Christmas in nine years!"

"Yeah, we'll get to open Christmas presents with children who aren't cranky from sleep depravation. This will be a new one! Let's go have some fun!" Daniel was obviously caught up in the spirit of Christmas as he led Sarah in the direction of the front room.

I got up and followed them in, sitting on the couch near where Claire was seated on the floor with what looked like the contents of her Christmas stocking spread around her. She immediately jumped up and ran to get something. "Here is your stocking, Quil!" Claire announced as she handed me a large, bright-red Christmas stocking with white fleece on the top; there, printed in green, glittery letters, was my name, "Quil."

"A stocking for me?" I asked. I was rather shocked at seeing anything for me here at Claire's house, other than maybe a small gift from Claire.

I looked at Daniel and Sarah. Daniel was looking away, busy helping Marc with his stocking, and Sarah just shrugged innocently saying, "Santa knows everything. I guess he knew you would be staying here last night."

Claire grinned up at me as she settled back down on the floor with the contents of her stocking which seemed to include several snacks and small toys. I hadn't eaten anything yet, so I decided to look in my stocking to see if it had anything to eat. I wasn't disappointed in my search for food; I found a bag of almonds and a Symphony bar with toffee and almonds. I watched the others open their stockings as I slowly, well slowly for me, ate my almonds and chocolate.

When everyone had taken the opportunity to look at their stocking items, Daniel moved to the Christmas tree to hand out gifts. "Quil?" Daniel questioned me nodding in the direction of the large dryer sized gift in the corner.

I shook my head and asked, "Would it be okay if that were last?"

Daniel nodded in my direction, "Sure, no problem." He picked up a box and announced in a loud jovial voice, "What do we have here? To: Skye From: Santa."

All eyes went to Skye as she opened her gift which turned out to be a jewelry making kit. "This is the exact one I wanted!" she exclaimed with joy.

The next gift was for Marc, and the one following for Claire. Daniel handed out the gifts so that each person got a turn before going through the rotation again, with the exception of me of course. It didn't bother me at all; they weren't really expecting me, and I hadn't had more than two or three Christmas presents since I was about ten.

There was something about being here in this family atmosphere that I just loved. I didn't have this at my house, and I enjoyed watching Daniel and Sarah with their children. It was the way I could picture Claire and me twenty years down the road. I was really grateful to Daniel and Sarah and the example they were setting for Claire each day.

Three more rounds of gifts and my name came up. "This one is to Quil from Claire," Daniel called out.

Claire jumped up and went over to her dad. He handed her the gift and she brought it over to me, not really holding it with extreme care, but her eyes were lit with excitement. "Here, Quil," she said placing the box on my lap, "Merry Christmas!" Claire climbed up on the couch next to me and knelt on the cushion bouncing just a little in anticipation.

I had to smile at her; she almost looked as excited as I had felt this morning. "So, do you think I'll like this?" I asked her with a wink, laughing to myself.

"Yes, I know what you like," she responded.

"Oh, do you?" I asked. "You seem pretty confident about that."

"I am, it's because I'm your wolf girl," Claire said in a low voice that was almost a whisper.

It made me very curious as to what was in the box. I removed the red and green Batman Christmas wrapping paper to reveal a large shirt box. I lifted the lid and inside the box there were two pair of chocolate-brown sweatpants that had been cut off and hemmed. "You're right! You do know me, I wear sweats everyday!"

Claire was bouncing on the couch next to me; her hands were clasped together and grinning from ear to ear. "I sewed them myself! I cut them off and then I used the sewing machine. I even did the foot pedal all alone!" Claire explained with excitement that couldn't be still.

"Claire, first you cook and now you sew? You are becoming quite a little homemaker!" I said to her with a pleased smile. "Thank you so much!"

"I picked that color brown because it matches your…" She was about to say something, but paused to edit her statement as she glanced over at Skye, "eyes. It matches the color of your eyes." Claire said, covering up what she was about to say in the first place.

"Well I love wearing this color. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy," I joked, winking at Claire. She burst out laughing.

"You two have the weirdest sense of humor," Skye said. "That wasn't even funny." Claire of course laughed even harder at that, and Skye just rolled her eyes.

"Okay, we are down to the last present," Daniel called out eventually.

"It's the biggest one!" Marc called out "Who is it for? Is it mine?"

"No, Marc, it's Claire's. The biggest gift is always Claire's," Skye said rolling he eyes.

"Well, this time you are right. This is to Claire from Quil. Quil, would you like to come and help me with this one?" Daniel invited.

I stood up and went to where the present was and instructed Claire to sit on the floor in front of the box. "Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three!" I lifted the box revealing the Barbie-sized dollhouse I had made.

Claire was in awe. "A dollhouse? A dollhouse for my Barbie dolls?"

I set the box on the floor out of the way as much as possible. "I made it for you, do you like it?"

Claire nodded her head then looked in the center room of the dollhouse. It had the same pale, bubble-gum pink walls and décor as her tree house, and from how intently she was studying that room, I could tell she was impressed by how closely they matched. She tilted her head to the side a little to see the same lettering "Claire's Dollhouse" on the wall above the entry to the room. When Claire finally spoke, it came out in a whisper, "Quil, it has "Claire's Dollhouse" painted on the wall of the pink room."

The others didn't know the significance of Claire's discovery of the matching dollhouses, but that was the entire point of this Barbie-sized dollhouse. "I'm glad you noticed, Claire. It was kind of tricky painting it that small and sideways," I told her.

Claire looked me directly in the eye and gave me a knowing grin. "I'll be right back," she said before running off towards her room.

"I think she likes it," Sarah said with a slight chuckle. "I've never seen her actually speechless before!"

"Yeah, that's something we've never heard before," Skye added wryly.

"I think Marc enjoys the other part of your gift," Daniel said pointing to the decorated dryer box that Marc had tipped onto its side and was now using as a fort.

"Hey, two gifts in one," I joked.

Claire returned then with her Quil wolf stuffed animal and her special Native American Barbie doll. "Quil, will you play house with me?" Claire asked, handing me the Quil wolf toy.

"Sure, I can," I answered. "Why do you think I made this dollhouse?" I asked Claire with an over-the-top theatrical wink which of course sent Claire bursting into a fit of giggles.

"I think that is my cue to step out and make breakfast," Sarah announced. "How does every feel about blueberry muffins this morning?"

"Yummy," called out Marc.

"Sounds great Mom, need any help?" Skye asked.

"Blueberry muffins sound great! I'll take out the trash from opening all these gifts while you work on breakfast." Daniel responded.

Claire and I played with the dollhouse for quite a while. Sometimes we acted out things that had happened in her life-sized "dollhouse," and other times we played out things that might happen later. I was confident that both of Claire's dollhouses were a big hit, and at least one of her dollhouses would get a lot of use for many years to come.


	12. Chapter 12 Homework

Chapter 12 Homework

**Thanks to Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 10 on the 5****th**** Aug 2013, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 23 on 2 Feb 2013.**

Chapter 12 Homework

I was a year and a half into my two year program for web hosting and design. Most of my work was online or on the computer, so I had to do it at home. I also had a bit of reading assigned from textbooks, and I could be more flexible about where I read. I had gotten in the habit of taking my textbooks to the tree house I had built for Claire which we named the Dollhouse. It was there that I could go to read and rarely if ever was interrupted or distracted. Today was a rare occasion.

I was reading sprawled on top of a large quilt I had laid on the floor, when I heard the sounds of human footsteps crunching leaves on the forest floor as the person came closer. I sniffed the air to see if it was a scent I could recognize, but all I could smell was Claire. Of course the Dollhouse was hers, so her scent was all over the place. I went to the window to see if I could locate the visitor. To my shock I saw Claire, all alone, headed along the path towards the Dollhouse.

I set my textbook down, and quickly scaled down the tree to meet her. "Claire, what on earth are you doing out here? The forest is dangerous; you should never be walking out here alone. Do your parents know where you are?"

I was so worried about Claire that I had burst out talking without even taking the time to really see her. Once I took a breath and actually looked at Claire, I could tell that she had been crying. She was looking at the ground allowing her long black hair to fall in front of her face mostly hiding her from view. This was so unlike my confident, self-assured Claire that I was immediately taken aback. I quickly knelt down in front of Claire and said, "I'm sorry, my little wolf girl, it looks like you've had a tough day. Does you mom know where you are?"

"No," she responded quietly without looking up from the ground.

My heart ached to see Claire in such obvious pain. Before I even took the time to find out what was wrong, I gathered her into my arms and hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to hang out with me in the Dollhouse, Claire?" I asked her. "If you do, you'll need to hold on while I climb," I instructed her.

She merely mumbled a soft little, "Okay." Then she proceeded to wrap her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist so I could climb the oversized ladder to the Dollhouse.

When we were inside, I sat down on the blanket on the floor and positioned Claire in my lap. I reached for my mobile phone and dialed Claire's home phone number. Sarah answered on the second ring, her voice sounding anxious. "Sarah, this is Quil," I began but was immediately interrupted.

"Is Claire with you?" Sarah asked slightly frantic.

"Yes, Sarah, she is here with me. She seems pretty upset, but I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet, I thought it would be best to call you first."

"Thank you," Sarah responded with obvious relief. "Where are you? As soon as I got home from the school with Skye and Claire, Claire disappeared. I called Emily's, and she wasn't there. I called your house, and Embry said you had left hours ago. I guess that is when I really began to panic. I honestly couldn't think of anywhere Claire would go besides home, Emily's, or your place. I drove around for a bit, but couldn't find her near the house. We just got back in, and I was just about to call Sam and Jacob to see if the packs could look for her. Where are you?"

I was a little frustrated by the fact that a search would most likely jeopardize secret of the Dollhouse. We had been able to keep the Dollhouse a secret for almost a year now, and I didn't want to ruin the privacy and solitude today. I raced to find an acceptable response. "Well, there is a spot that I often take Claire when we go on runs. I like to do my homework here; I guess she remembered that, because she came here from the house." _Good, it was all true and didn't give up any information about the Dollhouse._

"So…Is it a place in the woods?" Sarah asked hesitantly. "Did she wander off into the woods alone?"

I cringed a little at that. "Yes. I actually addressed that issue first thing with Claire, but like I said, I called you right away, so I haven't had a chance to even find out what is wrong yet. She just appears to have had a really bad day."

"We all have bad days, but that doesn't mean we should all go running off into the forest alone, especially at ten years old!" Sarah was beginning to lecture.

"Sarah, I'd like to have the opportunity to find out what is wrong with Claire, and see how I might be able to help her. Would that be alright, or do you need me to bring her home right away?" As I finished the last sentence I could feel Claire shift in my lap and grab on tighter to my shirt.

Sarah took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "I'm just so worried. She really had me almost panicking for a little bit there. I feel like I want to tell her to come home right now and ground her for a month or two. But I know that is really more about me reacting to feeling worried and panicked. This is just so unlike her, is she really upset?" I could tell she was beginning to calm down as she talked through the situation.

I rubbed Claire's back and kissed the top of her hair gently before quietly answering Sarah. "She is very upset. I've never seen her like this before. Do you mind if she stays with me for a bit to figure out what is wrong?"

"That's fine, Quil. If Claire is with you, I know she's safe. Will you please call me when you're headed this way?" Sarah asked.

"Sure, no problem," I answered.

"Oh, and dinner is at six tonight, you are welcome to come and eat with us," She added.

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that, and I'll call you when we are heading out from here. Bye."

"Goodbye, see you for dinner if not before," Sarah said before hanging up the phone.

I loved the way Sarah worked! She was very subtle in her art. She didn't give us a command to be home by a certain time; she just invited me to dinner, and let me know it would be time to eat at six o' clock. She was smooth, and I was learning skills I could use later on with my children. For now, I just had one child to take care of, a very upset ten-year-old.

I put my phone away and almost subconsciously looked at the clock, almost more out of habit than necessity. I adjusted Claire for a bit better view and began, "Well, we have until five-thirty to talk before it will be time to go to your house for dinner. Are you ready to spill yet?"

"Everybody hates me except you, Quil," she began before it set her off into a fresh round of tears.

I could think of dozens of people who loved her that would argue with that statement, but she wasn't discussing factual information, she was trying to convey how she felt. "Claire, what happened to make you feel that everybody hates you?" I began.

"Well, Tracy Longman is having a sleepover, and she invited all of the girls in the class except me." Claire told me with fresh tears falling at the revelation.

I touched her cheek to catch the falling tears and responded gently with, "Oh, my little wolf girl, I am so sorry. Did she give you a reason for not inviting you?"

With this Claire looked down at the floor as if to study it. I nudged her, and leaned over to try and look into her face. She turned away from me avoiding my eyes.

"Claire, I can tell you are upset. What did this Tracy Longman girl say to you?" I asked.

"I don't wanna tell you, Quil," she finally whimpered.

I thought of a few different ways I could approach this, but with how serious Claire was being, I felt the need to match her mood in my questions. "So it's that bad, huh?"

Claire nodded and simply said, "Yeah."

"What did she say about you?" I said with a little acid seeping through my tone. I asked trying to remain focused on how sad Claire was and not how much I wanted to get back at this little ten-year-old girl for hurting my Claire.

"Nothing," Claire responded innocently, looking me in the eye for the first time since we sat down.

I was caught off guard and completely confused. "What do you mean she didn't say anything about you?"

Claire just shrugged her shoulders and looked away from me again.

"Why would you be so upset with her if she didn't say anything bad about you?" There was no response. "Did she say something mean about somebody else?" I guessed knowing that Claire would defend her friends and family just as vehemently as herself if not more.

Claire almost curled up into the fetal position at this question, but still managed to nod her head.

Sudden realization hit me, and my stomach was immediately in a huge knot. The only person I would be this upset over would be Claire. Even though she was physically still six years younger than me, she was my imprint, a stronger pull than soul-mates, and it was probable that Claire was feeling just as strongly connected to me as I was to her. "Claire, did she say something about me?"

Claire instantly stood up and threw her arms around me, burying her face into my neck and sobbing. "Oh, Quil, they were so mean!"

My heart broke for Claire as I hugged her close to me and tried to comfort her. It really didn't matter to me what a bunch of fifth grade girls thought of me, they could say anything and it would roll off my back. It did, however, matter to Claire, and she was obviously aching over what they had said. That fact made me angry, and I began to shake. _No! I can't do this. Get control!_ I yelled at myself, taking deep breaths and trying to focus on calming down.

Claire snapped from her sobbing and released me with a look of shock on her face. She suddenly became very determined and took my face, holding my cheeks in her small hands, and looking intensely into my eyes said, "Quil, calm down."

My shaking slowed and I nodded. "Yeah, calm," was my only response.

She began stroking my left cheek with her right hand. "Quil, I'm okay, see? Calm down, I'm alright."

With that my shaking stopped, and I was overcome with guilt for how much I had lost control so close to Claire. I wrapped her up in a hug and apologized, "Claire, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to lose control like that, please forgive me. I was just so upset that Tracy hurt you so much, that you were in so much pain. Will you tell me what they said?"

Claire stepped back from the hug and asked me, "I'm a little afraid to tell you. I don't want you to be angry."

I hung my head in humiliation. "I am so sorry, Claire. I never should lose control like that around you. I was just upset because you were so hurt, and I didn't know how to help you. It really doesn't matter to me what they say about me," I tried to convince her.

Claire lifted up my chin and looked critically in my eyes. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Claire, I'm sure." I smiled at her, "See? I'm all better now."

Claire nodded and then scrunched up her face before telling me the story. "At recess today Tracy Longman was passing out invitations to her sleepover party. Jenny and I went over to Tracy to get ours, and she handed one to Jenny, but not to me." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Tracy looked at me and said that the sleepover was for fifth grade girls only, and when I told her that I was a fifth grade girl so I should be invited too, she said that I never could go anywhere without 'that weird man.' She said she didn't want to invite me because you might show up, and she said that would be creepy so she just didn't want me there." By this time Claire's stance was more anger than hurt, and I could tell she was feeling more empowered.

I had dealt with this issue eight years ago as the pack found out about my imprinting on Claire. Now her peers were noticing that I was around, and that it was not normal for a sixteen-year-old (sort of) to be spending time with a ten-year-old. "They don't understand do they?"

Claire shook her head. "I tried to tell them you were my friend, but that you didn't go everywhere with me, and that I could just tell you it was for girls and you wouldn't come." She looked to the window and back. "That's when the girls in my class all started asking about why I was friends with an older boy anyway. I tried to tell them that you have always been my friend for as long as I can remember, and that you are really nice to me and fun to be around, but they wouldn't listen to me."

"That sounds really frustrating," I commiserated.

"It was. But that's not the worst part," she said dramatically raising her arms in the air with frustration.

"What was the worst part," I said in a quiet voice focusing on keeping myself calm.

"They kept asking me why _you_ are _my_ friend." She looked down and shrugged her shoulders before taking a deep breath and looking back at me. "The only reason I could think of was that you imprinted on me."

My heart skipped a beat and I held my breath for a second wondering how horrible the repercussions would be if she had told them. Is this why she was so upset? Had she told them? Was she really to immature to be responsible for such a big secret? "What did you tell them?" I asked. I had to know.

"I said 'just because' but they were angry with me. Quil, I knew I couldn't tell them about imprinting, they wouldn't understand. So the only thing I could say to them was 'it's because I am so special' and then one of the girls said that if an older man tells a girl that she is special it's just because he is having sex with her. Then all of the girls started to believe her, and then they all said they didn't want to be friends with someone who was having sex with an older boy." Her jaw clenched and she paced back and forth for a minute.

I was in so much shock that I didn't even no how to respond. I tried to formulate a response in my head, and just as I was about to start to say something, Claire interrupted me.

"I mean, I don't even know what sex is! How on earth could I be having sex if I don't know sex is?" She was flailing her arms in the air pacing back and forth as she went on this little rant.

I had to bite down on my lip to keep from bursting out laughing. I managed to get out, "Claire, neither one of us is having sex. You don't need to worry about that."

"Well what is sex?" Claire asked me curiously.

"Oh, no, I'm not getting into that discussion today. Let's just focus on the girls in your class." I sidestepped her question after a brief moment of panic.

"I'm never going to learn about sex," she mumbled under her breath sitting down in front of me.

"Definitely not from me today," I mumbled back before adding, "Claire, I'm really proud of you for keeping sacred things special, even when it was tempting to tell them."

"They wouldn't have understood about it anyway," she griped.

"True, you pretty much have to have felt imprinting to know what it's like." I paused and laughed remembering when Claire told Ariel about imprinting.

"Like when I told Ariel about imprinting?" Claire said with a laugh.

"I was just thinking the exact same thing!" I said with a bigger laugh.

"I love you, Quil. You're the best friend anybody could ever have!" Claire said, grinning at me with a smile that deepened her dimples and made her eyes sparkle.

"Well, maybe not anybody, but definitely you," I responded grinning back at her.

Claire went over to the dresser and took a bag of peanut M&Ms out of the bottom drawer. She came back to the blanket and lay down on her stomach. "Please?" was all she said handing me the unopened bag.

"No problem my little wolf girl," I said as I opened the bag for her. I took out a few and handed her the bag. "Opening tax," I called out.

"Hey!" She said taking the bag from me, "You're stealing."

"Nope, I was collecting a tax for opening the bag," I teased her.

"So what's the difference between stealing and taking a tax?" Claire asked.

"Well, stealing is wrong, and taxes…well, they are legal so even though it feels like someone is stealing from you, it's still okay," I explained.

Claire rolled her eyes at me. "You can call it taxes, but I still think I'm getting taken."

"Yup, you understand the concept of taxes then!" I exclaimed proudly. "I'm so glad I could teach you something today."

Claire huffed and threw a candy at me which I adeptly caught in my mouth causing her to be set off in a fit of giggles. She calmed down a bit then looked at her bag of candy and in a quiet voice said, "Quil, I don't care if nobody else wants to be my friend. If you are my friend, I can be happy."

I leaned over and tousled her hair, "Same here, my little wolf girl, same here."

"Quil, imprinting means you always have to be my friend, right?" Claire asked, as she looked up at me from beneath her thick eyelashes.

"I wouldn't really say it forces me, Claire. It's more like I always get to know what is good and best about you, and that makes me always want to be your friend," I explained.

"Are you ever sorry that you imprinted on me?" Claire asked in a subdued tone.

I was worried that Claire might be feeling forced or uncomfortable about our relationship. I answered carefully, "Claire, from the moment I saw you, you were my favorite person in the whole entire world. I love that I get to spend time with you. I love it that you know me better than anyone else. It makes me happy to be around you. How could I ever feel sorry about that?" I answered looking directly into Claire's eyes and hoped that she would feel my honesty.

She looked back at me and watched my expression and intensity. She nodded and then said, "I feel the same way. I just wish my friends at school could understand it."

"Did you try to tell them that?" I asked her.

"Yeah, they just think it's creepy," She said with a pout.

"Well, when we both are sixteen, they will all be jealous that you have such a hot boyfriend and they will only be dating some non-werewolf loser," I said taking the M&Ms bag and pouring half of them into my mouth.

Claire burst into a fit of giggles and covered her face with her hands. "Hot," was all she said before giggling some more. "You're always hot," she said when she calmed down a little. I tossed a candy to her mouth, and it hit her cheek before she caught it in her hands. She popped it in her mouth and became more serious as she thought about what I had said before she asked, "Quil, will you really be my boyfriend when I am sixteen?"

_Oh, Crap did I really just bring up the topic of dating with a ten-year-old?_ I thought to myself. "Uh, well, I guess if you want me to. But if you just want me to be your friend, I can do that too." I tried to make things more casual so I added, "You are my favorite girl in the world, I think I'd still want you around," and I gave her a big silly eye roll followed by an overdramatic stage wink which sent her into another fit of giggles.

"Let's do our homework before we get back so we won't be interrupted," I suggested, and we each worked on homework for the remainder of the time at the Dollhouse.


	13. Chapter 13 Judgment

Chapter 13 Judgment

**Thanks to Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 10 on the 5****th**** Aug 2013, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 23 on 2 Feb 2013.**

Chapter 13 Judgment

"_Let's do our homework before we get back so we won't be interrupted," I suggested, and we each worked on homework for the remainder of the time at the Dollhouse._

I looked up at the clock on the wall, and it was five-thirty. We would have to leave then order to walk back to her house by six o' clock for dinner. "Hey, little wolf girl, it's pumpkin time!" I announced.

Claire looked at the clock on the wall. "But it's only five-thirty. Mom said we don't have to be home until six," she said with disappointment.

"Yes, but you Claire are going to be in big trouble for running off like that, and we can't take all my homework and yours home in my mouth. Our actions have consequences, and today doing our homework here means we are going to need to walk ourselves out of here." I saw Claire's disappointment return, and got a little tempted to give her a ride and try and figure out a way to make it work carrying the books. I really didn't want to reward her with a special treat for doing something wrong and dangerous though. "I'll tell you what; I'll carry your backpack. That should make it easier."

Claire's shoulders slumped and she sighed, "Okay, I guess it's better than nothing."

"Darn tootin'," I said as we cleaned up wrappers and blankets so everything was safe and protected. "Climb up for the monkey elevator," I instructed Claire. She always said that holding on to me in front the way she needed to so I could travel with her up and down the tree made her feel like a monkey. It was interesting carrying Claire, her backpack, and all my homework as well down the ladder, but we made it down safely.

I glanced back at the ladder and then at Claire, and had to ask, "Claire, how were you planning on getting into the Dollhouse if I wasn't here?"

"I'd climb up the ladder," she told me.

"How?" I questioned as I looked at the rungs that were almost as far apart as she was tall.

Claire looked up and down the ladder before realizing the rungs were too far apart and she wouldn't have been able to make it. "Oh…I guess I wouldn't have been able to get up there."

We began to walk towards Claire's house, and we discussed the events of Claire's day a little more. When we were about five minutes away from Claire's house, I called Sarah letting her know we were on our way home and would arrive in about five minutes. There was really no reason for Sarah to know that Claire had walked in the woods alone for half an hour today. Sarah was upset enough about Claire's disappearance already, and didn't need the extra worry to fuel the punishment.

Claire listened quietly as I spoke to Sarah on the phone. When I was done she said, "You really need to put extra stepping places on that tree so I can get up to the Dollhouse too."

I wasn't sure why my speaking with her mom had brought up the subject again, but it didn't feel like there could be anything good come of it. "Actually, I like the fact that you need my help to run away. I think I'll keep it like it is," I said honestly.

Claire huffed then said, "Well, I guess you did really help me feel better…and help me finish my homework."

"Yeah, that was pretty responsible of us for running away, huh?" I joked.

Claire laughed, and we teased each other until her house was in sight. She suddenly got very quiet, then asked in almost a whisper, "My mom is really mad, isn't she?"

"Yup," I answered, "You scared her a lot when you didn't tell her where you were going."

"I'm going to be in trouble, aren't I?" she asked meekly.

"Yeah, I think you can count on it," I told her truthfully.

"Crap."

We walked into the house and Sarah was there right away to meet us. "Go put your things away in your room, young lady, and then wash up for dinner." She sent Claire out of the room with a point in the direction she wanted Claire to head before she turned to me and said, "Quil, I can't thank you enough for today! I would have been frantic if you weren't there to call. So, did she tell you what made her do this?"

"Yeah, a girl in her class…Stacy Logman or…Tracy…" I struggled trying to remember the name.

"Tracy Longman," she helped.

"Yes. That's the one. Tracy Longman invited all of the girls in the fifth grade class to a sleepover, except Claire, and she was really upset about it." I answered Sarah quietly.

"Why would she leave Claire out, was it a misunderstanding?" Sarah looked confused.

"It was because of me," I answered.

"What?" The look on Sarah's face was utter shock. Claire walked in at that point and Sarah had her sit down at the table, and sat down next to her. "Claire, I need you to tell me what happened with Tracy at school today."

Claire looked up at me and I nodded. She took a deep breath and began, telling the story. "At recess today Tracy Longman was passing out invitations to her sleepover party. Jenny and I went over to Tracy to get ours, and she handed one to Jenny, but not to me." She paused and took another deep breath before continuing. "Tracy looked at me and said that the sleepover was for fifth grade girls only, and when I told her that I was a fifth grade girl so I should be invited too, she said that I never could go anywhere without 'that weird man.' Tracy said she didn't want to invite me because Quil might show up, and she said that would be creepy so she just didn't want me there." Claire's was almost in tears after telling Sarah about it.

Sarah paused, looked up at me, and nodded slightly knowing that this day would arrive at some point in our unusual relationship. "Well Claire, it seems like Tracy might have some prejudice against Quil."

"What's prejudice, Mom?" Claire asked innocently.

"It is when someone makes a decision about something before they know all the facts. Do you think if we invited Tracy over here, and she met Quil and saw the two of you together that it might help?" Sarah offered.

"Mom, Tracy is the meanest girl in the whole class. I don't want to invite her over here," Claire answered.

"Are you saying that because of what happened today or because of the way Tracy behaves everyday?" Sarah probed.

"She is mean all of the time, and not just about Quil. She's mean about everything to almost all of the kids in the class except her very favorites," Claire said.

"Why would you want to go to the mean girl's house and have to be nice to her?" Quil asked.

Claire looked down to the floor in a thoughtful manner, then raised her head and said, "Well, I don't really want to go. I was just really mad that she invited everyone _but_ me, and I'm also afraid that she will tell all of the other girls in my class to stop being my friend."

Sarah gently said, "Claire, you don't have any control over what other people say, and although you and Quil have a great friendship, it is very rare. Only a few people in the entire world ever have a friendship that is as good as what the two of you share. For that reason it's going to be very difficult for many people to understand. There are kids that will tease you because you are a girl and Quil is a boy. There are others that will think it is strange that you and Quil are not the same age."

"But we will be when I turn sixteen!" Claire interrupted.

"Yes, when you are sixteen, it won't look very odd for you to be spending your free time hanging around with Quil." Sarah paused to wink at me. "But right now you are ten, and you spend most of each day with other ten-year-olds. And the fact that Quil is not aging is something that should be kept kind of secret. It is also something that most adults don't really understand, so trying to explain it to your classmates would be a big mistake," Sarah advised. "When is Tracy's party anyway?" Sarah asked Claire.

"In two weeks, on Friday night," Claire answered.

Sarah had a look like a light bulb had just lit in her head. "Friday night in two weeks? I'm not sure you would be able to go anyway. I think Emily called and said something about a bonfire that night. Let me call her and check." Sarah stood and walked into the front room to use the phone.

I couldn't remember any talk of a bonfire, but I had been in the Dollhouse all afternoon. I was curious, so I listened carefully to Sarah's conversation to Emily. "Hi Emily…Yes, she went to where Quil and her usually go, they got home just a little bit ago.…Some drama with the girls in her class at school, a girl invited all of the girls in the class but Claire to her sleepover….Yeah, I was thinking it wouldn't feel so awkward if she had a bonfire to go to,…uh, huh…one that none of the other girls could go to…definitely!...It's two weeks from now on Friday night, do you think you can pull it off?...yeah, just the packs and imprints, maybe the council….really? That will work? …excellent! Thank you so much Emily, I totally appreciate your help on this one! ...No, don't tell her I had anything to do with it…Yeah, glories of motherhood! ...bye Emily."

Claire and I were setting the table when Sarah came back into the kitchen. "Yeah, I just double checked with Emily and there is a bonfire for the packs and their wolf girls that same night Claire. So it looks like even if you were invited to the sleepover, you would have to choose between that and the bonfire," Sarah announced.

"Oh, I'd always choose a bonfire with Quil over some silly sleepover!" Claire announced proudly. I held out my hand and she gave me a high-five.

"Now, Claire, we need to talk about something a little more serious. You left the house right after school today and no one knew where you went. Quil called me almost half an hour after the time we got home and apparently you went into the woods alone. Is that correct?" Sarah asked in a firm but quiet tone.

Claire's countenance fell as Sarah spoke. She looked down at the table, her shoulders slouched and she admitted, "Yes, Mom, that's correct."

"Okay, well as I see it there were three things wrong. First, you left the house without permission. Second, you didn't tell me or anyone else where you were going. Third, you went into the woods alone." Sarah paused and leaned down to hug Claire. Then Sarah pulled back to speak to Claire at her eye level. "Claire, you really frightened me today. There was almost half an hour where I had no idea where you were or what happened to you. You could have been kidnapped and I…Claire, I was really scared for your safety. Please promise me that you will never do that again!" Sarah finished looking Claire in the eyes.

Claire was crying gently with remorse by this point and nodded her head, "I'm sorry, Mommy. I didn't mean to scare you. I promise I won't do it again."

Sarah hugged Claire and then said, "Well, I think to help make sure that you remember you are going to need to be grounded for a week. I will be at your bus stop every day to pick you up, and you will need to stay in the house after school. You will not be allowed to watch TV or play with friends for the whole week." Claire and I both took in a sharp breath at that, and Sarah couldn't keep a straight face. "That's right, no school friends for a week. If Quil wants to see you this next week, he will have to come here for dinner, or drive you to school in the morning." She looked at me over Claire's head and gave me a little wink.

Claire relaxed and hugged Sarah tighter. "I'm so sorry, Mom."

"I know Claire, please don't ever do it again." Sarah took Claire and turned her around she gave her a very soft pat on the backside and said, "Now go get your brother and sister for dinner."

I went over to Sarah and gave her a huge bear hug, and said "Thanks, you are the best mom in the whole world!"

She started laughing. "Is this because I didn't ground you too?"

I laughed back, "Well, maybe a little bit." I got a little more serious and said, "You did this all on your own today. Daniel was at work and has no idea any of this happened. You took care of it start to finish. Claire got the safety and love she needed. You listened to her, and made her feel loved, important, and repentant. Claire was not only listening to you today, she was learning how to be a mother today. I'm really glad that our children will get to have a mother that has been trained by the master. You have some serious mothering skills!" I raised my hand for Sarah to give me a high-five.

Just then Daniel walked in to see Sarah giving me a high-five and asked, "Good Day, Honey?"

Sarah went over and kissed him hello and said in a happy tone, "Nope, it pretty much sucked."

Daniel looked from Sarah over to me with a confused look on his face and asked, "So what just happened?"

"Oh, I was just complimenting your wife on her awesome parenting skills," I said as I sat down at the table.

Sarah placed the casserole on the table and said, "Well, part of the reason I was able to handle that so well was that I had a couple of hours to calm down and rehearse my script before having to pronounce judgment. So it's not always this good, but I did rock it today didn't I?"

I held out my fist and she pounded it with her fist. "Yes you did!"

"Oh, by the way, Claire is grounded for the next week," Sarah said over her shoulder to Daniel as she took the salad out of the refrigerator.

"Why do I feel like I totally missed something here?" Daniel asked.

"Because you did," Sarah and I said at the same time then we both started laughing.

Skye, Claire, and Marc came in the room and sat down for dinner while Sarah put the basket of rolls on the table, leaned over to kiss Daniel on the cheek and whispered, "I'll tell you about everything that happened later, after the kids go to bed," before sitting down in her chair.

Looking around the table I was so pleased that Claire was being raised in such a loving and structured home. I looked at the ten-year-old next to me and could envision many family dinners like this in the future for us. As Claire looked at me and smiled, I almost felt as if she could see the same future as I could. One where she and I would get to share the kisses and the private conversations after the children went to bed.


	14. Chapter 14 Money Matters

Chapter 14 Money Matters

**Thanks to Imma Vampire & ****VampireDaisy**** for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 11 on the 5****th**** Aug 2014, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 24 on 2 Feb 2014.**

Chapter 14 Money Matters

I finished all of the classes and graduated with a two year degree. The diploma was nice, but the knowledge and skills were far better! The school helped me to find a company that was interested in contracting with employees who work from home to keep their overhead costs low. This worked perfectly for me, as I could do my web design projects around the pack patrol schedule. I had been seriously contemplating starting my own small business, but so far this company loved the work I was doing. I had been assigned so many clients that I hadn't even considered working for myself; I simply didn't have the time.

The best thing about my new job was the money. Since I was able to keep my living arrangements and lifestyle the same, I suddenly had a great deal more cash on hand than before. The first few paychecks I had purchased a few really nice things for Claire, and then Daniel sat me down for a conversation.

"Quil, I know that you have a new job. How is that going for you?" Daniel began.

"Really great, Daniel! I love what I do, and I can do my work in between my other obligations," I answered.

"So, they seem to be paying you really well," He said with a tone that left me wondering where he was heading with this. Then a thought occurred to me.

"Yeah, did you want me to pay you back for the classes you paid for?" I asked.

"Oh, no, no, that's not…" He paused and took a deep breath, and started over. "Quil, is it still your intention to marry Claire when she's old enough."

I blushed and instantly looked down at my feet. I took a deep breath and raised my head to look him in the eye again and answered, "If Claire wants to marry me that will always be what I want."

"Then how do you plan on supporting her?" Daniel asked pointedly.

This question caught me totally off guard and I just sat looking at Daniel and blinking in confusion. All I could manage to get out was a befuddled, "Huh?"

Daniel's mouth smiled a little at the edges before he clarified his question. "How are you going to pay for a house, a car, food, and clothes? How are you going to make sure you have enough money for medical bills and insurance things like that?"

I was completely confused by this. "I don't get it. I finally have a real job earning serious adult amounts of money, and now is when you choose to question my ability to financially provide for Claire? Now is when I am actually able to pay for all of that," I answered, still confused at what he was expecting from me.

"Quil, if I gave you a million dollars today and you spent it all today, how much cash would you have tomorrow?" Daniel asked gently with a slight edge of a challenge to his tone.

"The fifteen dollars I still have in my wallet," I answered with just a little bit of sarcasm.

"Exactly," Daniel said with the first bit of relief in his demeanor since we began the conversation. "Let's talk about a house. I am guessing that when you get married, you don't want Claire moving into that werewolf bachelor pad you share with half the pack, right?" He asked with some challenge returning to his face and voice.

"Yeah," I responded.

"Oh, and you know how you promised to always follow our family rules? Well, our family rule is that our daughters be virgins when they get married," Daniel said leaning over the table and looking pointedly at me with one eyebrow raised in a challenge.

"Yes, sir," I managed to choke out. It seemed the only appropriate response to that kind of topic. The conversation had become one where I longed more and more to be anywhere but where I was.

"Good," Daniel said and sat back in his chair, visibly more relaxed. "At least that's one of them." He mumbled under his breath.

I couldn't help but chuckle at that comment. Skye at fourteen had become quite boy-crazy and had her father sweating a little. "I'm glad you know you can trust me," I said in response.

"Right, I forget about your super hearing sometimes," he chuckled. "But back to my original point. You'll probably do best if you have twenty to forty thousand dollars saved up for a down payment on a house, and you can't save up that kind of money if you spend it all."

"Are you upset with the gifts I bought for Claire?" I asked worried that they would want me to take them away from her and return them.

"It's not that we are worried about specific gifts or amounts of money spent on Claire. We are more concerned that you might be thinking that you have a lot of money, and all kinds of time, and instead of saving like the ant, you are spending like the grasshopper," Daniel said quickly as he tried to get through his point.

I thought about the analogy of the ant that works and works to save up for the cold winter, and the grasshopper that eats and plays when times are good, and has to ask for help when times are rough. I could see how Daniel would make that comparison with the way I had been acting the last month.

Daniel got up from the table and went to the desk drawer. He pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil and still turned toward the desk asked, "When do you see you and Claire getting married?"

What he hadn't heard with super werewolf hearing was Claire walking into the room. What he _did_ hear was her swift intake of air as she gasped upon hearing his question. Every muscle in his back immediately tensed, before his head hung down in shame at getting caught by Claire. This was a conversation that was tough enough for Daniel and me to be having. Explaining to Claire why we were discussing marriage of an eleven year old would just be weird.

"Claire..." Daniel paused as he turned around to face her, his face was bright red and he looked completely embarrassed. "Uh, Quil and I were just…" He looked to me for help and I couldn't help but chuckle a little at how the tables had now turned.

Claire looked from her embarrassed father over to me, relaxed and amused, and walked over to me. "Quil, why are you and my dad talking about us getting married?"

"I think he wants to make sure that we will have our own house and food to eat so we don't live here and eat them out of house and home. Right?" I asked looking up at Daniel.

"Um, yeah," was all Daniel could get out as he sat down in his chair before he put the paper and pencil on the table.

"So we are going to get married?" Claire asked looking me in the eyes with a very serious expression.

"Well, my little wolf girl, you did propose to me when you were five. So unless you change your mind, and tell me we aren't getting married, I'm still planning on it." I answered her in the most casual joking manner I could manage.

Claire laughed at that, "Oh, right." She shrugged her shoulders and went over to kiss her dad on the cheek. "I'll be over at Willow's house. Bye, Quil, bye, Dad." She left out the kitchen door with a wave.

"How do you do that?" Daniel asked me as soon as she had shut the back door.

"What?" I asked not fully sure to what he was referring.

"Claire could have…you completely calmed her. That could have been so bad," Daniel stumbled to say.

"The whole reason you and I are even having this conversation is because we are both convinced that Claire will actually want to marry me when she is old enough to make that choice. I think there is a part of Claire that knows that too. When I talk about it casually, it's as normal as what we are going to eat for dinner. It just feels right, so she doesn't have any reason to be worried or upset," I answered. "By the way, what_ is_ for dinner?"

Daniel laughed, "Speaking of eating us out of house and home…"

"Just kidding," I added.

"I know. I actually think Sarah was planning on inviting you over for meatloaf tonight. But, back to the other question…" He looked over his shoulder before continuing, "When do you see the two of you getting married?"

I honestly hadn't really thought about a specific age for marriage. "I'm not sure when Claire will want to get married." I answered as Daniel's eyes got wide. I looked behind me to see Sarah walking into the room with her eyes wide. I put my head in my hands and mumbled, "Maybe we should have just held a meeting."

Daniel laughed at this and showed Sarah his notes that he had begun writing for our discussion while he explained to her, "We're just talking about what we went over last night."

Sarah nodded her head, "Well, I wouldn't count on Claire wanting to wait too long. Every time I ask her about what she wants to be when she grows up, all she ever says is that she wants to be a mommy. I have asked her about her favorite subject in school, and she doesn't really have any she favors. Next year in seventh grade, she will have electives and she has already expressed a strong interest in taking cooking and sewing. We can encourage all we want towards college, but if she doesn't change her mind and goals, I really don't see her going away for college."

I couldn't help but be a little pleased by that comment, and tried to be casual in my question to Daniel and Sarah, "So do you have an age limit for Claire to get married then? I mean, let's say she doesn't want to go to college. Let's say she wants to get married after graduating from high school. Her birthday is in August, would you want her to wait until then to be eighteen?"

Daniel visibly stiffened, and Sarah looked uncomfortable, but Sarah seemed to recover first. "Well, I don't think that we need to make a rule about it, but I don't think either of us like the idea of her being married at seventeen."

"Or twenty," Daniel muttered.

Sarah and I both laughed at that one. "Daniel, you _know_ that isn't going to happen if we are insisting on the virginity before marriage as a family rule and they have been so close for as long as Claire can remember." She turned to me and added, "And we _are_ insisting on that as a family rule."

I held up my hands in defense, "I got it. I got it."

"Let's just say for the sake of this financial planning exercise that the wedding will happen in August of 2021. That will be six and a half years. I really don't see us giving permission for Claire to be married before she finishes high school," Sarah stated.

"No kidding," Daniel said adamantly.

Sarah patted his shoulder calming him a little. "So let's just say the soonest it could happen is in six and a half years. If you plan and are ready financially by that time, and it turns out she wants to go to college, or travel, or something else, then you will just be ready a little early." Daniel very much relaxed as she explained it that way.

Daniel was now ready to talk numbers and Sarah excused herself from the room. "So, let's say you need forty-thousand dollars in six and a half years. How are you going to get that amount?"

He then went into detail about how to do it. "You have six and a half years that is seventy-eight months. You take forty-thousand, and divide it by seventy-eight, and you get a little over five-hundred and twelve. Can you spare five-hundred and twelve dollars each month?"

I thought about what my expanses were, and what my income had been, and I really thought that I could. "Yeah, I think that is an amount I will have available."

Daniel seemed pleased by this, and then went into detail about money market accounts, investing, interest rates and compounding interest. He showed me how with interest, I could have so much more money by that time. It seemed very possible and I knew with his help it would be easy.

"So basically what you are asking is for me to stop spoiling Claire now, so I can spoil her later, am I right?" I asked Daniel.

He laughed at my summary of the discussion, "Yeah, I guess that is what I am saying."

"Well, my next paycheck will arrive in three days; will you help me set up an account with that check?" I asked Daniel. Then I teased, "I either can do that or get Claire a pony."

"Very funny," Daniel said dryly before he added, "Seriously, no animals."

I began laughing and he joined in. Sarah came into the kitchen at that point and said, "Quil, Willow's mom has to go run some errands, would you go pick up Claire from her house?" I knew Claire had walked the short distance to Willow's house alone, so I was wondering if Sarah was giving me a chance to talk to Claire alone.

"Do you mind if I take her for a ride before dinner?" I asked.

"Sure, no problem, just be home by six for dinner alright? We're having meatloaf tonight," She tempted me.

"We'll be back for sure then!" I said with enthusiasm. I turned to Daniel and added, "Thanks for the help Daniel; I really appreciate you guys helping me keep my long term goals in focus."

"Hey, like you said, if it keeps the two of you from living here and eating us out of house and home…" He joked.

"Alright, we'll be back by six. See you later!" I called as I headed out the door.

I walked over to Willow's house. Willow was in Claire's class at school. They had known each other since kindergarten. They had become close friends last year when Willow chose to remain friends with Claire when the other girls chose to follow Tracy Longman and her prejudice. I arrived at her house and picked up Claire.

As we started walking back in the direction of her house, I asked Claire, "So your mom said we didn't need to be home for dinner until six, would you like to go for a ride?"

Claire looked up the street and back at me before she raised one eyebrow and said, "A ride in your truck, or a_ real_ ride?"

I laughed at her defining a wolf ride as a real ride and whispered in her ear, "A real ride."

"Definitely!" She exclaimed and began running in the direction of her back yard to the spot where I usually changed. "Race you there!" She yelled over her shoulder.

I chuckled and took off after her scooping her up under my right arm like a football when I caught up with her. "First body part to cross the finish line wins." I told her and she stretched her arms in front of her like she was flying so that she could cross first.

"I won!" She called out as we reached the edge of the trees.

"Yes you did. Will you put my phone and keys in your pockets?" I asked handing her the items so that I could go and phase.

"Sure thing Quil," Claire said as she put the keys and phone in her jacket pockets and zipped them up. She then followed me into the forest just a little distance before I went behind the regular tree to change.

Claire climbed on my back, leaned all the way forward and gripped tightly to the fur on my neck prepared for speed. I took off and ran as fast as I thought I could without it being too much of a risk of her falling off. We got to the Dollhouse in record time, with Claire giggling in my ear the entire way there. I phased back and dressed to rejoin her.

"Okay, monkey elevator is going up," I said before I grabbed her and she held to my chest as I climbed the oversized ladder up the tree.

When we got up into the Dollhouse Claire asked, "Could we put together a puzzle today?"

"Sure, Claire, you can pick out the one you want. Is there something you want to talk about today?" I asked her. Claire usually enjoyed puzzles the most when she wanted something to keep her hands busy as she discussed something.

Claire picked out a thousand piece puzzle with a ski chalet and a lot of beautiful flowers in the window boxes. "Not really," she said as she dumped the pieces out onto the table. She sat down and we both began to turn over the pieces sorting them as we went. The edge pieces towards Claire and the sky pieces towards me.

We were quiet and diligently working; almost all the pieces had been turned over when Claire asked in a very casual tone, "So what were you and my dad talking about?"

I smiled and said, "I thought you might be wondering about that. Your dad was giving me some advice about money."

"Then why did he ask you, 'When do you see you and Claire getting married?' like he was planning on it or something?" She asked keeping her eyes on the pieces as she put together the edge of the puzzle.

_Why did she have to come in on that particular part of the conversation?_ I thought to myself. I debated what to say to her over that as she obviously wasn't satisfied by what she had been told earlier. "Well, you know that I have imprinted on you, right Claire?"

She looked up at me at this point with her head cocked to one side looking slightly confused. "Yeah…" she said and waited for me to continue.

"Do you understand what that means?" I asked, searching to know her current level of understanding.

"Well, I guess it means you are my best friend and that you do things for me that you don't do for other people like how you built me the Dollhouse," she answered.

"That is true. It also means that when you are older, you will be the only girl I ever want to date," I told her.

"Is it hard for you to wait? Do you wish you could date some sixteen-year-old girl now?" Claire asked looking down at the table as she did.

"Claire, I am totally happy with the way things are right now. I am completely happy being here in the Dollhouse doing a puzzle with you. I have the freedom to date if I wanted to right now, I just_ really_ don't want to," I told her.

"And you think it's going to be the same way when you are thinking about someone to marry?" She asked me.

"Claire…Claire…" I paused and waited until she looked up at me. "I've imprinted on you, I know I will feel the same way when it's time for me to get married. Besides, you already proposed, and I already said yes. You know I can't break a promise to you," I added with a wink.

She rolled her eyes at me but had a huge grin on her face as she said, "Quil, I was five."

"I know my little wolf girl, but I'm still locked in. If anyone is going to change their mind, it will have to be you," I said smugly.

Claire came around the table to where I was sitting and gave me a big hug around the neck. She released me and went back to studying the edge pieces of the puzzle and simply sighed and said, "Thanks."


	15. Chapter 15 When Did That Happen?

Chapter 15 When did that Happen

**Thanks to my daughter Megan, Birdee18, Whippit, & Imma Vampire for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 12 on the 5****th**** Aug 2015, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 25 on 2 Feb 2015.**

Chapter 15 When did that Happen?

It was the third Saturday in August. It was summer, and I was able to spend more time with Claire, but that soon would be coming to an end. As a last fling of the summer, Claire's family had invited me over for a summer movie marathon. We had a typical day of drizzle and rain in La Push, but not inside the Hobucket house. Sarah had normal picnic fare of hot dogs, potato salad, chips, sodas, and such. Daniel had rented about a dozen summer related movies, and we spent the day resting on lounge chairs and beach blankets in their living room watching them.

After dinner we settled in for an old movie with lots of swimsuits and singing. Most all of us had switched seating positions, and Daniel and I had opted for the couch this time as it was much more comfortable than the floor. Skye and Claire had taken pillows and were lying on their sides facing the television and propped up on one arm. They were resting with their heads close together and their legs in opposite directions to make it easier for them to comment to each other about the movie. Claire was in front of me on the right, and Skye was in front of Daniel on the left.

They had been watching a particular scene when Skye said, "Dad, pause it right here! Claire, come on!" They ran out of the room towards their bedroom.

"What was that about?" I asked Daniel.

"The last time we watched this movie, Sarah's mom showed them a dance routine that she had done to this song when she was a teenager. My only guess is that after sitting all day, they are ready for a little exercise and will do the routine for us," he explained with a chuckle.

Sarah came in with Marc at that point. "Why is the movie paused?" Sarah asked before glancing at the television. When she recognized the movie and the particular point at which it was paused, recognition dawned across her face. "Did the girls leave to get ready for the routine my mom taught them?"

"We can only assume," Daniel said a little dryly before his wife and he traded knowing grins.

A few moments passed before Claire and Skye returned both wearing matching outfits of navy leggings and slim-fitting red T-shirts. They had both pulled their hair back into a single braid that began at the nape of the neck and extended more than halfway down their back. We were all caught up in their silly performance that began with the music as the movie began to play again. I am not sure where their grandma had come up with the routine, but it looked like a skit that would be performed at a summer camp in front of only other girls. It ended, and we clapped and cheered for their efforts. Claire was a little winded, and I offered to get her a glass of water.

"Quil, I would love a glass of water. Could you get me one with ice? That would be perfect! Thanks!" Claire said slightly breathless.

"Can I get anything for you, Skye?" I offered.

"Sure, I'd love some ice for my soda," Skye answered before she handed me her cup.

I went to the kitchen and filled both cups with ice before adding water to Claire's. I came back into the living room and noticed Claire and Skye were back in the positions they had been lying in before their little performance. I walked over to the left and said, "Here is your ice, Skye," as I held out the cup so she could reach it.

The girl in front of me didn't turn around. Instead, I heard, "Over here, I can't reach that far," coming from Skye who now was on the right.

I was stunned as Claire turned around and took the ice water from me with a sweet smile and a quick, "Thanks, Quil," before she turned around.

I was then in total shock as I backed toward the couch. Claire was my imprint, how could I not know her? How could I ever mistake her as being anyone other than who she was? I staggered back to the couch and sat when the back of my legs hit the edge of the furniture letting me know it was there. It was at that point that I tried to logically process what had happened. They had switched places, and they were in matching outfits. Their hair was the same length and in matching styles, yet it had been so before, and I had never made this mistake before.

I began to worry, and as my brain raced with even more questions, my eyes began to slow. I looked from one sister to the next looking for perceptible differences. The closer I looked, the more they appeared to be a mirror image of each other. I looked from matching black silky hair in tidy braids roped from the nape of their necks to the beach towels they rested upon. I noticed the slim-fitting red T-shirts that curved from a peak at the shoulder to a low valley of a waist, then gently raising over a round curvy hip as it then tapered covered in a navy legging the length of the leg to their bare feet resting on the floor.

_WAIT JUST A MINUTE!_ My brain screamed at me, _round curvy hip?_ "When did that happen?" I said so loud that I almost shouted.

Everyone looked at me, and I stumbled through an apology and an excuse about some plot point in the movie. Claire and Skye turned their attention back to the movie. I just sat there on the couch staring at Claire shaking my head and wondering how I could have missed such a huge change.

Daniel leaned over to me and asked, "What's really going on?"

I extended my arm and pointed in the direction of Claire's hip and whispered back, "When did that happen?"

Daniel looked over at Claire and did the same assessment as I had just completed then his demeanor suddenly changed to match mine as we sat next to each other with our jaws slacking in shock.

Sarah entered the room from the kitchen. Sarah immediately noticed our expressions and quietly asked, "What is the matter with you two?"

In a way that was almost bordering on comical we simultaneously extended our arms and pointed in the direction of Claire. Sarah followed our actions and line of thinking rather quickly and whispered, "When did that happen?"

My brain now registered that this wasn't just me shocked by Claire's new figure. Both of her parents seemed equally shocked. "Is this one of those overnight growth spurts?" I asked them in a volume that the girls wouldn't be able to hear.

"If it isn't, then I sure have been missing stuff around here lately," Sarah whispered back.

"Well, at least this isn't as bad as when it happened with Skye," Daniel said added to the quiet conversation.

"Why is that?" Sarah asked.

Daniel faced Sarah and stated, "Because the only guy Claire will ever be interested in is Quil." He then looked me directly in the eyes before continuing, "And Quil has given us his word that he will follow all of our family rules which include no romantic relationships before the age of sixteen, and no sex before marriage."

I nodded my head in his direction. I had promised to keep all of their family rules. So far it had been very easy; they really didn't have that many rules. I hadn't even been tempted to break any of them. Daniel and Sarah had actually given me more leeway than I had anticipated in the early years because of the relationship of trust we had built.

Daniel's next statement interrupted my thoughts. "Besides, if things start getting out of line, we still have Jacob's orders as a back up plan."

Sarah rolled her eyes at her husband, "Spoken like a true father."

"Yup," Daniel said as he pulled Sarah over the back of the couch and into his lap before kissing her.

The next interruption came in the form of a phone call from my mother saying she was at the hospital with my grandfather and it was bad. She urged me to come quickly. I knew that with my grandfather's failing health and advanced age, that a sudden accident or major medical problem would most likely mean the end for him.

I hung up the phone and Sarah immediately asked, "Quil, what's wrong?"

"My grandfather is in the hospital, it doesn't look good, I need to go," I responded almost mechanically.

"Is there anything we can do?" Daniel asked gently with deep concern in his voice.

I took a deep breath and raced through possibilities. As I did this, one thought came to the forefront of my mind. The single thing I needed most was Claire's companionship through this painful time. It felt as if I could handle anything as long as she was there to pat my hand and tell me it would be alright. Was that too much to ask of a twelve year old? I took another deep breath and looking at my hands quietly asked, "Would it be alright if Claire came with me to the hospital?" I couldn't look up in the silence that followed. It wasn't until I felt Claire's hand on my arm that I looked at her and was able to smile.

I glanced over at Daniel and Sarah who had seen Claire's response to me and understood. "Sure, Claire, would you like to go with Quil to the hospital?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, I would," Claire responded maturely.

"Claire, you should go change into some jeans and a long sleeve blouse, like your raspberry-colored one." Sarah instructed her. "It can be rather cold in a hospital."

"Okay, Mom," Claire said with a slight squeeze on my arm before heading to her room.

"Are you feeling up to driving, or would you like a ride to the hospital?" Daniel asked.

I shook my head and looked up at him, "I'm fine, I just was thinking about if Claire is really up to this."

Sarah and Daniel nodded in my direction, while Skye just looked at me suspiciously. "She wants to be there for you, and there are so few times she has the opportunity for that," Sarah assured me.

"What on earth is going on around here?" Skye asked in a bit of a shriek. She looked between her parents and me. Just then Claire came into the room looking very sedate. Skye turned to her immediately and whipped out, "What is going on with you and Quil?"

Claire's eyes grew wide and anxious as she looked from her parents to me and back. "I…I…um," she stammered as she tried to figure out what she had missed when she was changing her clothes.

Sarah stepped in and put her hands on Skye's shoulders turning Skye towards her room. "Skye, let's go have a little talk. Claire, don't worry about anything here," she called over her shoulder as she walked Skye out of the room.

Daniel leaned down to Claire's eye level and quietly said to her, "Claire, if anything gets to be too much for you, just call us and we will come get you at anytime you need. Don't be afraid to call if anything is too much for you to handle, alright?"

Claire nodded and took a deep breath. "I will, Dad," she said before giving him a hug. What she did next took me a little off guard. She left her father's arms and came over to where I was standing, took me by the hand with her left hand, and patted the top of it with her right hand. "Come on Quil, let's go say goodbye to your grandpa," she said so quietly that I wasn't even sure her dad had heard standing three feet away. She led me by the hand to the passenger door of my truck then turned to face me. Claire smiled up at me and hugged me around the waist. "I love you, Quil," she said simply before letting go quickly.

I picked her up and gave her another hug, "I love you too, my little wolf girl," I said as I opened the door to the truck and placed her inside. I leaned over to buckle her and for the first time noticed that she had her Quil wolf stuffed animal in a canvas bag. I went around to the driver's side and started the truck before I asked her about it, "What's in the bag, Claire?"

"A few things I thought might come in handy," she replied.

"Well, I can see your Quil wolf doll…" I let the partial sentence hang in the air hoping she would take over and explain. I wasn't quite in the mood for joking or teasing at the moment as I normally would do to get her to open up and talk with me.

Claire leaned over and placed her left and on my right forearm and said, "It has always helped me when I was feeling sad, so it was the first thing I thought of." She removed her hand and twisted her fingers in her lap as she looked out the window and muttered, "I guess it's not the kind of help grown up werewolves need though."

"Claire, you are thinking about me, and considering my feelings. You are putting yourself in my shoes to try and sympathize with what I might be experiencing and what you can do to help. That is exactly what I need right now. I can't believe how wonderful you are for me," I explained to her as I looked through the rain at the road.

"Thanks Quil you're making me feel really grown up right now, I like it a lot." Claire seemed to be less embarrassed after my comment.

I nudged her shoulder and teased, "Don't get too used to it, my little wolf girl." It worked to appropriately lighten the mood as I had hoped.

She rolled her eyes and looked at me to explain the remaining contents of the bag. "Well, I know you like puzzles, so I brought along a Sudoku book. You always get hungry, so I grabbed a box of Pop-Tarts, a box of granola bars, and a can of Pringles. Then I put my digital camera in there just in case you wanted to take pictures with your grandpa." Claire finished and looked over at me with sudden concern, "Quil, why are you crying, what's wrong?"

I shook my head and wiped the tears from my cheeks on the sleeve of my shirt. "Nothing is wrong. Claire, you are perfect; you thought of everything." I pulled into a parking space at the hospital, and unbuckled my seat belt. I released Claire's as well, then pulled her over to me and held her for a moment. "Claire, I'm so glad you're my wolf girl."

Claire jerked her head back from my neck and looked at me in shock. "You didn't call me little!" She exclaimed.

Her reaction and how physical things had been today unnerved me a bit. I took a deep breath and as I held her by the shoulders, I looked deeply into her eyes and told her, "Well, you aren't acting like a little girl right now. You are being very wise and caring. Thank you." I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead.

Claire smiled calmly and held her shoulders back. There were no other words to describe it, Claire looked proud. She took a deep breath and asked, "Are you ready to go inside now?"

I nodded and got out of the truck. I went around to the passenger side to help Claire out of the truck. I grabbed the bag with one arm and Claire with my other and carried them into the hospital.

Claire leaned over to my ear and whispered, "Quil, you carrying me like this is kind of making me feel like I'm five."

"That's okay," I responded, "I'm not really ready for you to be all grown up yet."

Claire just laughed and shook her head at me.

We found the room information for my grandfather, and headed that direction. I could tell as soon as we entered the hallway that my grandpa was still alive, but most likely did not have much longer to live. We got to where everyone was gathered outside his door and I put Claire and her bag down. Claire found a seat and pointed me in the direction of my grandfather's room.

I was able to talk with him alone for about twenty minutes before he was tired enough to fall asleep. The nurse came in to check his progress and indicated that the medicines would most likely keep him asleep for a while.

I went out into the hallway and found my mother, Claire, most of both the packs, and the council. My mom came and hugged me and explained that he had experienced problems with his heart. That due to his age and health, there really wasn't much more they could do for him then to help him feel comfortable and let him rest. The outlook didn't look very good, and she told me that the doctors would be surprised if he made it another twenty four hours.

I heard all of this and comments and well wishes from everyone in a haze, my eyes fixed on my Claire for most of it. I had a sudden need to be with her and walked from the middle of the group straight towards Claire with tunnel vision as my guide. I picked her up and sat in the chair she had been sitting in and placed Claire on my lap. I instantly felt calmed, more complete. I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my head on her shoulder. She had her Quil wolf doll in her lap, and it made me think of simpler times when Claire was younger.

Claire wrapped her arms around my shoulders and rested her cheek on my head. "You're going to really miss him," she whispered in my ear and let me know she understood what I was feeling. Claire rubbed my back occasionally, but for the most part just let me hold her and cry on her shoulder. I was grateful that everyone gave me privacy with my grief.

After about an hour I heard Claire's stomach growl. She started to rub my back and said, "Quil, it's been a while, maybe you should eat something."

I gave a short chuckle at her subtle way of getting something to eat. I sat up straight and asked, "Sure Claire, what should we start with?"

Claire took over grabbing a Pop-Tart for herself and handing me item after item until all the food in her bag had been consumed.

Jacob's father, Billy Black had gone in to see my grandfather. He came out and walked to where Claire and I were seated after having just discarded all of our trash. "Quil, Claire," he nodded at each of us as he spoke our names, "Sorry to interrupt, but Old Quil would like to speak with you privately, Claire."

Claire nodded and stood to walk into my grandfather's room; she paused for a moment and turned to me. I thought that she might be a little frightened as my grandpa can be a little intimidating at times. Yet she surprised me once again that evening by asking, "Are you going to be okay out here?"

I smiled and assured her, "Yes, I'll be fine." She nodded and left to talk with my grandfather.

After ten minutes Claire came out and got the camera and let me know that my grandfather wanted my mother and me in the room. Claire took a few pictures of the people in the hall before following us into the room and heading straight over to my grandfather. She showed him the display of the photos she had taken in the hall, and giggled with him at some inside joke. She then took a few pictures of the three of us before my grandfather insisted on taking one of us.

"Claire, hand me the camera, I want a picture of the two of you." He took a picture of Claire standing in front of me, and then insisted that I pick Claire up for the second one. He took the second picture as I was still in the process of lifting Claire and we were both gazing into each other's eyes. As he showed us the picture I was a little stunned. He had zoomed in so that all you could see was our head and shoulders. We were both looking at the other with such trust and love that it was undeniable to anyone viewing the picture that we loved one another. My grandfather pointed to the little screen and said, "Love. The love you have can not be broken." He paused and looked into the corner of the room with such peace and joy that I was sure he was thinking of my grandmother. "Many may try to tempt or steal what you have, but the magic of our people is strong with the two of you." He tapped the screen again pointing at the picture of the two of us. "This love, this connection the two of you share, it is the best this life has to offer. It is what this life is about. Cherish it, cherish each other, and you will always be happy." He finished and weakly handed the camera to my mother. "Take care, young ones," he said as he closed his eyes to rest. We each hugged him and kissed his cheek before leaving the room so he could rest.

I sat in the hallway with Claire on my lap for the next few hours. Some of the time we spoke with others, but most of the time Claire just let me rest my head on her shoulder and rubbed my back. When the doctor came out and announced that my grandfather had passed, I openly wept on Claire's shoulder and felt a few tears of her own on my head where she rested her cheek. It was nearly midnight when Embry offered to drive us home. I continued to hold Claire in my lap on the passenger's side of my truck. Holding Claire in my lap as I ached reminded me of when Claire was young and would hold her Quil wolf doll when she was sad. She was my comfort, my security. I was amazed at her strength at such a young age. I knew she would only grow in compassion as the years progressed and that thought filled my heart with joy amidst the mourning.


	16. Chapter 16 Teenager

Chapter 16 Teenager

**Thanks to Imma Vampire, Whippit, & Birdee18 for both the Muse and Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 13 on the 5****th**** Aug 2016, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 26 on 2 Feb 2016.**

Chapter 16 Teenager

I was in my wolf form racing through the forest at top speed. The sickening sweet smell was burning in my nostrils. I had to catch this vampire before it could do any harm. The vampire was now headed towards the Dollhouse where Claire was hiding. I had left her there for protection when I smelled the vampire's scent, and now it was headed straight for her! I tried to contact the other members of the pack, but no one else had phased. How could no one else be here? I was pretty sure I could take on this vampire alone and win, but it was much more risky than if I had help. I could now see the Dollhouse and my Claire looking through the window. _Claire_, my mind called out releasing a howl from my mouth, _not my Claire!_ I raced forward, pushing my muscles even harder, panting with the effort. BUZZ…BUZZ…BUZZ…BUZZ

What?

I sat up in my human form panting and completely disoriented. I looked around, bed, BUZZ dresser, BUZZ alarm clock, BUZZ I was in my room.

I reached over and turned off the alarm clock and looked at the time, four-thirty. Why was my alarm set for four-thirty? What day was it? The calendar read August fifth, Claire's birthday. Claire was a teenager today! Just three more years and she would be caught up to me, well, technically speaking. I mean, I was physically stuck at sixteen, but I did look a little more like twenty something. I was glad that I didn't look like a typical sixteen-year-old; it gave me more flexibility to stop phasing. I didn't have to stop phasing right when Claire turned sixteen in order for us to physically look close in age.

I hopped out of bed and went to take a quick shower. After my shower, I threw on some sweats that Claire had cut off and hemmed making them into shorts. I had let her know that if she wanted to just cut them off and leave them she could, but she said she wanted to do things for me and that she also wanted to practice her sewing. I had to admit, I did like the very domestic side of Claire. At times it was like she was channeling a 1950s TV housewife.

I left my mom's house and headed over to Claire's. I had moved back in with my mom after my grandfather had died. It made her feel safer, and it opened up the house Embry and I lived in for Embry and Ariel to move into after their wedding last year. Claire said she liked me living at my mom's better than living with Embry because when she cleaned at my mom's house she could enjoy the benefits of her efforts for more than an hour. She also said she felt sorry for Ariel for having to live with Embry since he was such a pig. I had to agree with her there a bit.

I took a few deep breaths as I reached Claire's house checking for any hint of vampire. We hadn't found any in La Push in a couple of years, but the dream I had awoken to was so vivid and fresh in my mind, that I was a bit unnerved. It was clear of vampires, but I could smell Claire's scent so strongly that I knew she was already waiting outside for me. I went to the back of the house and immediately began smiling when I saw her.

Claire was dressed in chocolate-brown colored fleece that matched the color of my fir. The basic long sleeved shirt and pants were fringed at the wrists, ankles, and hem of her shirt. Her hair was braided into two braids that began at the nape of her neck and extended almost to her waist. She looked a little how I pictured Taha Aki's third wife in the ancient legends.

"What is with the outfit you are wearing this morning, Claire?" I asked as I approached her.

"I thought I would go incognito this morning," she answered back with a little twirl so I could see the entire outfit.

I held onto her shoulders and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "Happy birthday, Claire," I whispered.

"Thanks," she grinned.

"So, you think that dressing like that will make you stand out less?" I questioned her.

"When we are going for our ride it will. It's like camouflage. I ordered the fleece the same color as your fur. I thought it might be less noticeable to see a streak of brown fur running through the forest than a streak of brown and pink running through the forest," Claire stated.

"I like you wearing pink, it looks good with my brown fur," I said with a slight pout. I didn't like the idea of her thinking she was too grown up to wear pink. "Why didn't you really want to wear pink this year?"

"Don't you think we look a little like a chocolate cupcake topped with pink frosting?" she asked.

"Claire," I said in a tone that let he know I knew she was trying to hide something from me, and I wasn't buying it.

Claire suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. "I thought that maybe you might go faster if there was less chance of us getting caught. You know, really fast." Her words suddenly tumbled out so rapidly that I really had to pay attention to understand. "I know you worry about me, and you think I'm going to fall. But I've been doing this like half my life and I'm really good at holding on. I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm a teenager now. I know that you can go a lot faster than you have been and I can hold on tight. You can feel it if I start to move to one side more than the other, and can move so that I don't fall. I know you can," she finished enthusiastically.

"So this is about you wanting a faster ride, not about you being too old to wear pink?" I asked with a bit of a smirk. My Claire was fearless when it came to me, and it thrilled me.

She looked absolutely shocked. "Quil, no one ever gets too old to wear pink! Pink is my favorite color. I will always wear pink no matter what age I am. I just won't wear it for every occasion. I think riding calls for brown…if we don't want to get noticed."

"Fair enough," I answered with a happy smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes! So, can we really go faster this year, Quil?" she asked me as she followed me across the back yard and into the forest a bit.

"We'll see, my little wolf girl," I answered and almost could feel her rolling her eyes at me behind my back.

"I'm not little, I'm thirteen. Technically, I am only three years younger than you now, Quil. In four years I'll be older than you. Then I get to make the decisions," she muttered.

I laughed and responded with a, "We'll see."

I went behind a tree and got out of my clothes and phased. I came around the tree to kneel down, and Claire was swiftly moving in the opposite direction. She stopped about ten feet from the tree in the place where I had left her. It kind of looked like she had been just on the other side of the tree from me. _But why would she be…_

I knelt down and Claire climbed up on my back. _Had Claire been trying to see me phase?_ I started walking, deep in thought. _Had Claire seen me before I phased?_ The thought suddenly made me embarrassed. _I can't believe she would want to see…_

"Quil, this isn't funny. You aren't even going at normal speed," Claire complained in my ear, interrupting my thoughts.

She adjusted so that she was lying fully on my back. Her face was behind my right ear resting against my neck. Her arms on either side of my neck gripped tightly onto my fur. Her legs straddled me as she gripped my abdomen with her knees and rested her feet against my sides in front of my hips. Claire was now five feet, five inches tall. She was somewhat tall for a thirteen year old, taller than her mother, and a full foot shorter than me. She seemed to fit perfectly.

I picked up my speed into a slow trot and could feel her muscles moving with mine. It was almost as if she were a fluid extension of me. We hadn't kept rides strictly to special occasions, and I began to realize just how skilled of a rider Claire really was.

"Come on, Quil," Claire begged, almost whining, "I could handle this speed when I was seven. Let's go faster."

I gave a small chuckle and began a good jog. Her body continued to compensate for every little movement. It was amazing to me that she fit so well. She was able to hold on and not restrict my movements in the least. I wondered if she were to get any taller if that would still be the same.

"Quil, snap out of it. Quit reminiscing over old times and pick up the pace," Claire urged.

She really did know me as well as I knew her. It was nice to have so much time to get to know one another and build our relationship. _How many couples get to be friends for fourteen years or so before they enter a deeper part of their relationship? Most couples have only months or at the most a year or two. Some even spend mere days or hours…_

"Quil, do you really expect me to believe that you can catch a vampire at a slow jog? Stop daydreaming and run. Run like I know you can, Quil. For me, for my birthday, Quil, will you really run?" she pleaded. "Please?" she begged with a deep sigh right in my ear.

Her breath tickled the sensitive hairs in my ears, sending a shock of adrenaline through my system that instantly made me shiver and speed up. I was now at a very slow run for me. It was faster than I had ever run with Claire before. I checked the feel of her as we ran. It seemed even easier for her to hold on and to move with me, as the motion of running was so much smother than the trot or jog had been.

"See?" she breathed in my ear, "I can handle it. Let's go…faster!" She said faster with a deep exhale right in my ear, instantly the shiver, the adrenaline, the increase in speed was the response.

_CRAP! She found my accelerator! _

Claire giggled, knowing full well she had found the secret to increasing my speed. "Do I have to say…faster…Or will any word…work?"

With the words faster and work, she intentionally exhaled bursts of air into my ear causing an instant reaction both times.

_What on earth are you two doing?_ Embry's thought came into my mind.

_It sounds pretty kinky, isn't she still like ten?_ Leah thought.

_We are just going for a run, and she's thirteen._ I thought in response. _What are you two doing out here this early anyway? _I asked them.

_So early? It's after seven. Jacob sent us out here to find you so you wouldn't be late to breakfast,_ Embry replied.

_Did you love birds lose all track of time?_ Leah teased.

"Faster, Quil, faster," Claire breathed in my ear, getting an immediate response from me.

_Holy cow, I feel like I'm watching a kinky movie with the two of you,_ Leah teased.

_Shut up,_ I said, _she just started doing that and I haven't had a chance to explain to her about it yet._

_And how does that explanation go, Quil, "Oh baby, you know what I like?"_ Leah egged on.

Both Embry and Leah were laughing hysterically at this.

_Where are you Quil?_ I heard Embry's thoughts breaking through the laughter.

I took in the scene around me and realized we were about thirty miles from La Push. I took a wide turn making sure that Claire was compensating for the movement and able to hold on. I then increased the speed as fast as I could go while making sure she could still breathe properly and safely hold on. I wanted to return as quickly as possible, and I also wanted to avoid Claire feeling the need to use the "accelerator."

_Aw, come on, don't you want her blowing in your ear some more?_ Leah asked, a little disappointed that my speed seemed to be enough for Claire.

_Hey, here comes Jacob. How much more time will it take you to get back? _Embry asked.

I checked our location and could tell we were about two minutes away at the speed I was traveling. _Tell him two more minutes to phasing, and then the walk from the backyard._ I answered.

_Okay, but hurry up. Apparently Skye has been suspicious of you two for a while now, and arriving totally late will only make it worse,_ Leah's response came. _I can see why "Faster, Quil, Faster!"_

_Shut up! _I growled in my head.

_Just hurry up okay? _Embry's response came.

_I'm almost there._ I answered.

_That's what she said._ I heard before I felt them both phase and leave my mind.

I knew this was one experience that I was never going to live down. It was going to be a long three years if she kept going at this rate. I didn't think she even had a clue as to what she was doing, at least I hoped not. We ran past the Dollhouse so I knew we were mere seconds away. I slowed down and Claire leaned into my ear again. I growled and shook my head effectively keeping her from blowing into my ear again.

"Oh, come on Quil, we just barely got started, why are you stopping already?" Claire pouted.

I came to a stop at my normal changing place and knelt down for her to get off. She clung tightly to my fur and didn't get down. I looked back at her and gave a short bark.

"I'm not done yet. I don't want to get off," she said stubbornly without making a move to get down.

I growled in response hoping she would understand how serious I was. She still didn't move. I thought through my options. I could roll over, but I would crush her. I could phase back, but then I would be naked, and she would be on top of me. I could try shaking her off, but it would still risk some injury to her considering the tight hold she had on me. It had to be four or five minutes we stayed in that same stalemate standoff.

_Quil, what's going on? You said two minutes._ Embry's thoughts came to my mind.

_Embry, thank goodness. I've been kneeling here for like five minutes trying to get Claire off, but she won't get down. We are straight out the back door of her house into the forest about twenty feet. Go tell Sarah where we are. Maybe she can convince Claire to get off me so I can phase,_ I instructed him.

Embry laughed at my predicament and phased to go tell Sarah. About two minutes later I saw Sarah walking into the forest from the house.

"Claire Hobucket, it is almost seven thirty. You get off of Quil this instant and get in the house," Sarah commanded.

"Crap," Claire said as she slipped down off my back. I couldn't help but chuckle. "You told on me didn't you?"

I nodded my head as I went behind the tree to phase and get dressed. I walked around the tree and found Claire dragging her feet towards the house. I picked her up under my right arm and carried her like a football. "You have to play nice for me to play nice, Claire. You know everyone waits for us for breakfast. How would we explain you just missing your birthday breakfast?"

She shrugged as best she could in her awkward position, "I didn't realize it was so late."

"Well I did, Embry and Leah phased to tell me everyone was waiting for us before I even turned around and ran back," I explained to her.

"Oh," was her only response as I set her down at the edge of the backyard in front of her mom.

"Quil, why don't you go inside, I am going to have a little chat with our new teenager here," Sarah said.

I nodded and mouthed "good luck" to Claire before heading to the front door of her house. I walked in and saw Skye looking suspiciously at me. "Hey, where's my birthday girl?" I asked in a loud voice hoping to through her off any suspicion she might have of the two of us doing something this morning. It seemed to work for Skye, but Daniel looked a bit worried. Sarah and Claire came in the back door at that moment, and Daniel immediately relaxed.

Claire came over to me and said a soft, "Sorry for making you wait for me," without even looking up from the floor.

I took her head and hugged it to my chest and kissed the top of her head. "No sweat. It's your party, I can wait for you I guess, my little wolf girl," I joked with her.

She let out a burst of air as if she had been holding her breath. She hugged me around the waist quickly and said, "I'm sorry," before running off to her room to change.

I walked into the kitchen and looked at Sarah. She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, we've hit the teenage years."

Daniel was leaning up against the counter and pushed himself off to come closer to us and asked Sarah quietly, "So what happened?"

I took a glass of orange juice and started drinking it. I had run well over sixty miles this morning and was well past ready for breakfast.

Sarah glanced in my direction before answering Daniel's question. "Apparently our darling not-so-little Claire was 'just curious' as to why Quil went behind a tree to phase, so she watched him this morning."

At this news I gasped inhaling a bit of juice and making me cough and sputter. "Did…she…" I managed between coughs.

"Yeah, she saw the entire process," Sarah informed me. I blushed more than I ever had before in my life.

"That little cheeky monkey," Daniel replied.

"That's why our darling daughter didn't get down off Quil's back until I went out there this morning. She wanted a longer ride and knew the predicament Quil would be in if he phased," Sarah explained.

"You guys have to know that I had no idea about this," I explained to them.

"Oh, we know, Quil. We know exactly whose is at fault here," Daniel said at a slightly louder than normal volume.

"Wow, busted on your birthday before eight in the morning! Smooth move, Ex-Lax," Skye said to Claire sarcastically as the two of them entered the kitchen.

I blushed furiously again, and excused myself to the bathroom to wash up for breakfast. I couldn't believe that Claire had watched me. I splashed cold water on my face before washing my hands thoroughly. Claire was definitely changing the game plan a bit, and I was still using last season's playbook. I heard a knock at the door and Sam and Emily entered with their family. I walked out of the bathroom to greet them, and we went into the kitchen to sit down and eat breakfast.

"So, is the bonfire still on for tonight," Sam asked Daniel, "or did Claire change the plans this morning?"

Claire, who had been looking down since they had walked in the door, immediately whipped her head up with her eyes wide. She frantically looked back and forth between her parents and started panicking. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I…I just don't know why I did that. I…please don't cancel the bonfire. I'll do extra chores or something, just please don't cancel the bonfire on my birthday," she pleaded.

Sarah glanced over at Daniel with one eyebrow raised, and a slight smirk that Claire hadn't noticed in her panic. Daniel gave her a slight nod and Sarah said, "Claire, the person you should be apologizing to here is Quil. You put him in a very awkward position because you were being a bit selfish." Sarah gave me a quick wink and continued, "I think you should make it up to Quil by doing something for him like cleaning out his office." Claire grunted as she lost her breath over that one. My office was a disaster! "But we will leave it up to Quil as to your consequences and whether there is a bonfire tonight or not," she finished.

Darn it, Sarah always does this to me. She knows I will give in to Claire. She doesn't want to look like she is being too lenient so she pawns it off on me. I know Claire well enough to know that time spent with loved ones means more to her than any monetary amount, or any gift. How could I deny her that on her birthday? I couldn't, and Sarah and Daniel knew it. Claire was pleading, begging me with her eyes to let her have the bonfire. Then I looked over at Daniel and Sarah and they actually looked a little smug. I realized that they weren't shirking their parental duties; they were giving me a gift. They were letting me be the forgiving hero on Claire's birthday. Since I always want to be Claire's hero, and because I really needed my office cleaned, I answered in the only way that made any sense. "Well," I paused for dramatic effect, "I really do need my office cleaned…and I was looking forward to some hot dogs tonight. I guess we can still have the bonfire tonight, and you can make it up to me by cleaning out my office."

Claire ran over to me and hugged me as tightly as she could around my neck. "Thank you, thank you, I'll love you forever for this!" Claire exclaimed in relief and joy.

I looked at Sarah and Daniel over Claire's shoulder and mouthed, "Thanks," to them.

They both grinned back at me while Sarah winked and Daniel mouthed, "You're welcome."

"Ugh," Skye scoffed, "You guys are all too weird!"

This of course set off a round of laughter which allowed us to relax and enjoy the rest of the wonderful breakfast Sarah had made.


	17. Chapter 17 Spring Dance

Chapter 17 Spring Dance

**Thanks to Imma Vampire, Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 13 on the 5****th**** Aug 2016, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 27 on 2 Feb 2017.**

Chapter 17 Spring Dance

It was May, and another school year was almost done for Claire. My work designing websites was steady, and the money paid well. I was gaining quite a little nest egg for later on. I was still living with my mom, which wasn't my favorite, but she was happy enough to have me there that she hadn't asked me to pay rent. Besides, with Embry recently married, I couldn't exactly go back to my former living arrangement. My mom allowed me to use my Grandfather's old room as an office, so I didn't have to pay for workspace. In all honesty, gas, food, and clothes were about my only expenses.

Even though Renesmee's presence attracted a steady stream of vampires, with two packs we could divide up the labor. Patrols were very minimal and had been for almost a while. I think Sam had gone for a bit since the last time he had phased. Sam had even discussed stepping down as alpha of the pack and letting Jacob take over both packs, but I think Jacob still wasn't that thrilled with the idea. Sam might also have been holding out for the hope that Jacob would be just a little more settled down in his life first as well. Jacob and Nessie had gotten married a while back, but seemed to almost be in a state of perpetual honeymoon travel.

Claire was how I spent all of the free time I could possibly find. I had gotten in the habit of picking up Skye, Claire, and Marc from school pretty much every day they were in school. It was the plan for me to pick them up unless Sarah called to tell me otherwise. They all went to the same school because the Quileute Tribal School went from Kindergarten through twelfth grade. Marc was a second grader, Claire of course was in eighth grade, and Skye was a junior.

Skye was rather put out by this arrangement. She was sixteen and felt she should be able to have a car and drive herself. She would also be willing to drive Marc and Claire if it meant getting a car and freedom as part of the deal. However, when she was learning she had dented the garage door by backing into it and run over a neighbor's cat while it was on their front lawn, so Daniel and Sarah were still letting her practice more before letting her drive their other children anywhere. I may have had some input on that subject, which is why it was a Friday afternoon and I was happily picking them up from school.

It was May fifth, exactly three months until Claire's fourteenth birthday. Her thirteenth birthday hadn't started out that great, but I did get a very cleaned and organized office out of her little tantrum. I also cut down the amount of times she had been on wolf rides so much that we had actually only gone out twice since her birthday. We were at the Dollhouse all the time, but we walked there now.

I arrived at the school just a minute early, so they weren't quite out yet. The rain was light so I left the wipers off as I waited and watched as the raindrops slowly beaded up on the windshield and rolled down in little streams. Things like that could be so peaceful and fascinating. Two minutes later the peace ended as the Hobucket children rushed the truck. Marc for some reason would fight Claire every time in order to sit next to me. Claire would always win, and I even tried to tell Marc it was her regular spot or her assigned seat, but the stubborn little guy kept trying.

"It's my seat, I tell you this every day! That's not going to change," Claire said as she shoved Marc just a bit to get into the truck and sit in the spot next to me.

"Is the shoving necessary?" I asked her in a low voice as Marc climbed in and then Skye.

"Yes! If he would ever listen, he'd know this is always my spot," she said glaring at Marc.

"Huh," I grunted, and I knew she was in a bad mood from something other than just fighting Marc for her spot again. "Marc, I've told you dozens of times, that's Claire's spot, always was, always will be."

Skye made a dramatic show of rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "I can't wait until I get a car of my own. Then maybe everyone can actually have their own seatbelt, and you and Claire won't have to share one anymore."

"We don't share a seatbelt," Claire answered back a little bit of bite in her tone.

"Calm down, we're almost there," I said trying to pacify the sibling rivalry before they unleashed it all on their mother. I hugged Claire around the shoulders, and she took a deep breath before she leaned into me a bit. I released her and turned into their driveway. I was barely stopped before Skye had the door open and ran for the house. Marc was quick to follow. Claire didn't move an inch. "Are you alright, Claire?" I questioned.

"I had a rough day," she paused for a moment before suggesting, "Do you think you could take me to the Wal-Mart over in Port Angeles so I can buy some fabric?"

"No problem, my little wolf girl," I joked with her. That got her going. She moved from my grasp and glared at me.

"Quil, I'll be fourteen in three months. I'm not a little two year old anymore."

"You're right. Why don't you go put your backpack in the house and ask your mom? I'll wait here for you," I answered. Claire and I hung out pretty much every afternoon. Daniel had some concerns at the beginning of the year, but then when Claire's grades went from A's and B's to straight A's his concerns all disappeared. I did help her with her homework everyday, but I also took her shopping, frequently.

As part of the eighth grade curriculum, Claire had cooking, sewing, and shop. Hanging out at the Cullens garage with Rosalie gave her any extra practice she needed for shop. She would cook at her house, Emily's, my house, and even at Ariel's house at times. Sewing was quickly becoming Claire's passion. I had set up a sewing desk for her in the corner of my office for a while, but we quickly realized there was not enough room there. The Dollhouse had been transformed into a sewing studio.

I had, uh, "located" some electrical lines that I was able to tap into, and the Dollhouse now had electricity. I had also spoiled Claire with pretty much whatever she wanted as far as sewing went. She had a professional Juki, a Husqvarna Viking serger with computerized stitches that apparently did everything, one that did embroidery where you just set it up and it did everything, and some contraption for machine quilting large quilts. She would tell me the type of machine she wanted, and we would research it. There would always be a point in looking up the machines where her eyes would glaze over and she would get this wistful look before looking at the more practically priced machines. Once her eyes would glaze over, I would write down the information as discretely as I could and within a few days she would have exactly what she wanted.

I loved being able to spoil her, and this was something that was helping her as well. She had gotten in the habit of sewing things as gifts, but she also was sewing and selling things on Etsy and eBay. We pretty much started her own little business, and of course I helped her by doing all the web design; it looked very professional.

Claire returned to the car and let me know that her mom had invited me to dinner at six. "I don't know why my mom doesn't just say, 'Claire, your curfew is at six,' and get it over with," Claire complained.

"Well, I don't mind. If she just told you to be home by six, I wouldn't get to eat dinner with you and your family," I teased, trying to lighten her grumpy mood.

Claire scooted over to the middle seat and buckled her safety belt. I leaned over and looked at her with concern, not yet starting the truck. "I'm fine, just school stuff," Claire said in answer to my unasked question. She snuggled into my side and sighed.

I started the truck and began the trip to Port Angeles for fabric. In a way to gauge her mood a little better I asked, "So what are we shopping for today, fabric, patterns, buttons, ribbons, or all of the above?"

"Just fabric," she answered dully.

I knew she was feeling sad and contemplative. If Claire was only shopping for fabric, she wasn't in a good enough mood to feel creative, inventive, or silly. "Fabric therapy it is then," I answered quietly and wrapped my arm around her shoulders letting the heat comfort her.

We arrived in the fabric department and she went directly to the artificial fur; this must have been one tough day! She lifted the edges of the fabric and rubbed it gently in between her fingers. There was something about the tactile action of running her fingers over the fabric that calmed Claire. She would linger on some fabrics longer than others before moving on, and these were the ones I placed in the cart for purchase. We ended up leaving the store with eleven bolts of fabric, all of them the softest in the store. They were all muted colors, browns, blues, and grays, colors that matched her mood.

Claire didn't speak the entire time we were in the store. I had never seen her so melancholy before. When we got to the car I pulled out the one pound Symphony chocolate bar with almonds and toffee that Claire hadn't even noticed I had purchased. "Claire, will you help me with my chocolate bar so it won't melt?" I asked her, hoping that it would get her to talk to me about what was bothering her.

"Sure," she said and she opened the candy bar, broke off a piece and held it out to me.

"What, you aren't going to even take out your opening tax?" I joked with her. "Claire, there is obviously something bothering you. Is it so bad that you can't even eat chocolate?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," she mumbled as she absentmindedly put the piece she was holding into her mouth.

"Claire, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to," I sympathized with her as she broke off the next piece of chocolate and handed it to me.

"If's ok, I yike it," she muttered through her mouthful of chocolate. She had broken off the piece for me, and it was a little large for her mouth.

I looked over at her and started to laugh, "Claire, you're drooling chocolate! There are napkins in the glove box," I let her know.

"Fanks," she mumbled around her mouthful of chocolate. She reached over to the glove box and a huge piece of drool covered chocolate fell out of her mouth and onto her pants. When she sat back up and noticed it, she began to giggle which made even more of the chocolate start to come out of her mouth.

Seeing she was in a slightly better mood, I began to tease her a little. "Oh gross Claire, now you're eating like Jacob!"

With that Claire burst out laughing and had to use the napkin to catch everything from her mouth. Through her fits of giggles she teased me back. She held up the napkin full of half-chewed drool-covered chocolate and asked, "Do you want it?"

So happy to have a glimpse at my happy Claire again, I decided to joke even more. "Oh sure, just because I'm a dog, you think I'm going to eat what someone else chucked up? I'm not Brady."

"Eww, that's just so gross! He hasn't ever really done that has he?" she shuddered at the thought while still giggling.

"Not that we know of, but with Brady you can never really be sure," I joked back with her. "Claire, you can use the plastic bag from the store to put that mess in," I let her know.

"Thanks," she said as she picked up the bag and hid the mess for later disposal.

"It was totally worth the two bucks for the candy bar to see that smile again, Claire, even if you didn't actually eat any of it," I said and hugged her around the shoulders before returning my hand to the steering wheel.

"Yeah, I had a pretty cruddy day," she finally admitted.

"Are you ready to talk about it yet?" I asked her gently, not wanting to push her to talk if she wasn't ready.

"I think it might be girl talk," she told me in a contemplative tone.

"Huh, girl talk, well, I do happen to know a few girls, is there one in particular you would like to talk to more than another?" I asked and pulled out my cell phone. I handed it to Claire and she took it and turned it over and over in between her fingers as she decided the person with whom it might be best to discuss the matter.

"I think I'll call Ariel and see if she is home," Claire said. She dialed the number and Ariel answered. Even without the phone being on speaker mode I could hear the entire conversation.

"Claire, I'm so glad you called! I just got a new cookie recipe that is supposed to be super easy where you can make cookies from a cake mix! Do you have time to come over and try out the new recipe with me?" Ariel blurted out before Claire could get a word in edgewise.

Claire grinned up at me and answered with, "We are on our way there right now. We'll be there in…"

"Five minutes," I supplied.

"Five minutes. Tell Embry to get the video games ready for Quil," Claire finished.

"Great, I should have everything set up and ready by the time you both get here. I am preheating the oven right now. See you in five, bye!" Ariel said.

"Bye," Claire responded and hung up the phone and handed it back to me. "Quil, thank you for knowing me so well."

"Don't give it a care, Claire," I joked in a sing song voice.

"No, Quil, I'm not joking. You know me better than anyone in the whole world! You know when I need time to think, and when I need to talk. You know when I just need a hug, and when I need so much chocolate in my mouth that I can't help but laugh at how silly I look. Sometimes I think you know me better than I do," she finished.

"Well, I don't have your pesky hormones confusing my view of you," I teased her.

She rolled her eyes at me and nudged her shoulder into my side. "How can any normal boy ever compare?" she whispered so quietly that I knew she hadn't intended for me to hear.

We drove in peaceful silence for the last few minutes of the drive until we reached Ariel and Embry's house. I still felt a bit protective over Claire, so I scooped her up and carried her into their home. I tickled Claire a little until her dimples showed and her waist length black silky hair was swaying back and forth from her wiggling as it draped over my arm.

"Claire, Quil, come on in!" Embry greeted us at the door. "Still not letting her get much use of her legs I see," Embry teased me, and I just laughed and put Claire down.

Ariel came into the front room from the kitchen wearing the pink and white pinstriped apron Claire had made for her. Claire had used just about every machine making that one. It had ruffles around the edges, tied in a big bow in the back, and had been embroidered with a Disney design of Minnie Mouse holding a pan of cookies with Ariel's name embroidered in an elegant script below the cartoon.

Ariel came over to Claire and gave her a big hug. "I'm wearing my favorite apron, see? Are you ready to make these cookies?"

Claire nodded and said, "I'm also ready to eat some cookies. I almost had a snack, but it didn't work out so well." Claire and I chuckled remembering the Symphony bar incident.

"Well, these are the easiest cookies ever!" Ariel began as they walked into the kitchen. "Preheat the oven to three hundred fifty degrees. Mix a cake mix, two eggs, and half a cup of oil until it's the consistency of Play-Doh. Scoop onto a cookie sheet and bake for eight to ten minutes," Ariel finished with satisfaction.

"Wow, that really is easy!" Claire said amazed. "Are they any good?" she asked a little skeptical.

"I don't know yet, let's find out," Ariel answered honestly.

There was a bit of a pause in the conversation as I heard them moving around the kitchen getting ingredients together and preparing the dough.

"Ariel, can I talk to you about something?" I heard Claire ask.

"Hey, are we going to play or are you just going to eavesdrop?" Embry asked me. I held up my index finger indicating that I wanted him to wait a minute so I could listen.

"Sure Claire, you can talk about anything, what's going on?" Ariel answered.

"Eavesdropping it is then," Embry sighed and I waved at him to be quiet so I could hear.

"Well, it's my friend Willow. . ." Claire began.

"What about her?" Ariel prompted as I heard the scrapes, swishes, and clicks of the cookie scoops as they began to scoop out the dough onto the cookie sheets.

"Well, there is this eighth grade dance coming up in two weeks, and she keeps bugging me to go to it," Claire said blandly.

"A dance, that sounds like fun! Don't you want to go?" Ariel asked upbeat and still maintaining her quick rhythm with the cookie scoop.

"Well, yes and no," Claire began and then paused. "I mean, it would be sort of fun to dress up, and hang out with Willow…" Claire's voice trailed off as she got lost in thought.

"But…" Ariel urged Claire on.

"But it's kind of a boy girl pairing up kind of thing. Most of the kids are asking someone to the dance, like dates. We're only in the eighth grade! Besides my parents don't want me to date until I'm sixteen anyway," Claire answered.

"So why don't you just have your parents drop you off and meet up with Willow there at the dance?" Ariel suggested.

"Because the only people there to dance with would be the boys from my class," Claire said in a tone that made it clear this was the true root of the problem.

"And you aren't interested in any of the boys in your class?" Ariel asked her with an innocent tone.

I heard the sound of what I assumed to be Claire's cookie scoop hitting the counter. Claire huffed, and I knew her well enough to know she had her and on her hip and was rolling her eyes. "Ariel," Claire scolded her with a whine, "Good grief! You've imprinted, are you honestly telling me you could look at an eighth grade boy and be the least bit interested in him after hanging around Embry?" Claire almost sounded disgusted.

Ariel responded with an equally disgusted, "No!" Embry and I made fists and pounded them together as we heard our girls talking about us like that. "But Claire, you're only thirteen, are you telling me you are interested in Quil in a romantic way?" I froze. This thought hadn't occurred to me yet, and I strained to listen to Claire's answer.

"I don't…well not so…I mean…um," Claire stumbled through her words then she took deep breath and started again in a whisper. "Ariel, look at Quil, of course I've thought about kissing him before," she paused before adding in a rush, "and if you ever tell him or Embry I said that I will kill you and deny it!"

"Deny that you told me that or deny that you killed me?" Ariel teased as she put the cookies into the oven and set the timer.

"Both!" Claire said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, I won't tell them anything," Ariel answered in a slight warning tone that let us know that she knew we were listening. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I like Quil because he's Quil…and yeah, I've thought about kissing him before, but I would be way too embarrassed to kiss him first! I mean, he says he's only sixteen still, but he's the same age as Embry, and you and Embry are married, and nobody thought that was weird. I think most of the kids my age look at Quil like my babysitter or something." Claire paused her whispering and took a deep breath before she continued. "It's like this dance thing. I don't really feel the need to go. I'm not anxious about pairing up as a couple yet, and my parents tell me it's our family rule to wait until you're sixteen to have a boyfriend, or girlfriend in Marc's case. But whatever, Quil and I get to hang out and go places together. He buys me stuff, and I cook him things and help him clean his messes. Why would I want to make that all weird with trying to kiss him? Oh, man I am totally rambling!"

"No, no, Claire, it's fine. You need to get this off your chest, and who better to understand than another girl who is an imprint, right? I get it. Don't stress, just talk it through. Maybe you can figure out what you need to do as you explain it to me," Ariel whispered kindly to Claire.

"Ok…I haven't ever told my friends anything about Quil before, and even if I had, it's not like I could bring him to an eighth grade dance, right?" Claire continued.

"Yeah," Ariel laughed, "He'd kind of stand out."

"Exactly, and my teacher, she would probably want to dance with him. Gross, that would just be disgusting, she's a hag. Anyways, it's not like I am ashamed of him or anything, it's just that it would be weird for me to take Quil to an eighth grade dance, just like it would be weird for me to be his thirteen year old date to those business award dinner things his company has every year. Man! This just sucks! Why do they have to have a stupid dance for eighth grade anyway? It's not like anybody knows how to dance. There are only like seventeen kids in my grade. It's an odd number, so if we don't bring somebody else there is an extra person anyway," Claire's stream of consciousness was getting a tad bit dizzying to follow. Fortunately for Claire, Ariel was a girl and could follow and comment better than I would be able to in this situation.

"Claire, it sounds to me like you don't even feel like you are ready to go to a school dance," Ariel commented.

Claire paused for a long moment, and the timer beeped for the cookies. "Dude, turn on the video games, hurry," I whispered to Embry. He tossed me a controller and turned on the system. I heard Ariel take the cookies out of the oven and place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack before putting the next batch in and resetting the timer.

"Sorry about that, Claire," Ariel said, "go on."

I motioned to Embry and mouthed, "Mute the TV." He shook his head slowly at me, but did as I asked.

"Ariel, I don't know, there are times when I feel so much more mature than the other girls. Like today, I got to ride with Quil over to Port Angeles and we went and bought fabric that I can use for making things for my online store. How many other thirteen-year-old girls get to do that, any of that? Most have to go to the store with their parents, the most freedom they have for something like that is if they have an older brother or sister like if Skye was competent enough to drive," she paused and giggled at that one. "Oh my goodness, she is such a bad driver!" Claire laughed.

"Yeah, I've seen her practicing," Ariel laughed along with Claire.

"Sorry, I got off topic," Claire apologized.

"No problem, this is girl talk, and what is girl talk without a bit of catty gossip?" Ariel questioned as she reached for a serving plate. "Just a sec," she whispered to Claire before raising her volume and asking, "Embry, would you come in here for a second? I need your 1-800-TALL-MAN assistance for the serving plate please."

Embry jogged into the kitchen and got the serving plate from the top shelf in the kitchen cabinet and handed it to Ariel. He also grabbed a handful of cookies before he left the kitchen.

"Hey," Claire and Ariel both said at the same time before bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Those were supposed to go on the plate first," Ariel called after him.

"Just look at these as payment for my services," Embry called back as he handed me a couple of the cookies.

"Hey, thanks," I told him.

We waited for a few minutes, but the girls weren't talking again. Embry picked up the TV remote and turned up the volume. Once we heard mummers of the girls' voices again, we slowly turned down the sound on the TV until we could hear them again.

"And she really is my best friend that's a girl, and she's probably right that the boys won't dance anyway, but I still feel weird about going. I don't want to hurt Willow's feelings, but I really never want to have to dance with some skinny shorter than me eighth grade boy," I heard Claire whisper.

"Do you think you are ever going to want to date a bunch of different guys?" I stiffened as I heard Ariel's question and waited for Claire's response.

"No!" Claire scoffed at a normal volume. "I already have chocolate; I already know it's good. Why would I want to try a bunch of brussel sprouts just to make sure I still liked chocolate?"

Embry hit me on the arm to get my attention, "Hey, is that why your fur is chocolate-brown, because you're Claire's chocolate?" he teased.

"Shut it," I told him and went back to concentrating on what Claire had to say.

Claire's voice was back to a whisper again, "Nah, the only thing I really worry about is how much more experienced Quil is than I am, and how much older he is than me," She paused for a few moments. "Sometimes I kind of worry that Quil will get tired of waiting for me to get older before I'm ready."

"Oh, Claire, Quil has waited, what, nine years for you already?" Ariel started.

"Eleven," Claire corrected her.

"Alright, eleven years, so Quil is not all of a sudden going to start dating someone else after being devoted to you for eleven years, Claire. Besides, he imprinted on you, not someone else. You told me about imprinting, you saw it immediately, remember? Or were you too young to remember that?" Ariel asked.

"I remember, but that's not what I am talking about," Claire said sounding a little embarrassed.

"I'm not sure I understand, Claire. What are you talking about then?" Ariel asked.

I could hear the sound of the cookie scoop tapping on the counter, most likely a nervous reaction from Claire. "The boys at school are starting to ask me out. Like, they are asking me to go to the movies, or the beach or to be their girlfriend," I heard Claire's voice say.

I was surprised by the instantaneous jealousy I felt in thinking of other boys, even little scrawny eighth grade boys, with my Claire.

"Willow says the boys are paying attention to me because my body looks more like I'm sixteen than thirteen." That thought had my head reeling; was she really built like a sixteen-year old? I guess I hadn't really noticed, I mean I'd noticed some changes. My thoughts were interrupted by her next comment. "Ariel, just because my body looks sixteen or whatever doesn't mean I'm ready to do the same kinds of things a sixteen year old does!" she whispered in almost a panic to Ariel.

"Claire, I absolutely know that Quil will never take advantage of you, and never make you feel uncomfortable in your physical relationship." Ariel said this with confidence at almost full volume. She knew full well that Embry and I were listening to their conversation, and this was as much a direct order to me as it was consolation for Claire. Her tone and volume softened as she continued, "I also know that you should never do anything you feel is wrong just because of someone else's expectations."

"Well, that's the other thing…Most of the girls in the class have kissed boys already. They call me names like kindergarten baby and say I'm scared because I haven't had my first real kiss yet. And it doesn't help when I come home from school and Quil calls me his little wolf girl. It's like he's rubbing it in! Sometimes it makes me so mad that I want to just grab him and kiss him so I can tell them all to shut up, including Quil!" Claire was agitated enough that her volume had risen a bit.

I was a little stunned at that latest admission on her part, and Embry was laughing at me. "Quil, you have one interesting time ahead of you! I totally do not envy you at all!" he whispered to me. I just shook my head at him thinking to myself that I needed to be much more cautious about using the word "little" around Claire from now on.

"Ariel, what should I do?" Claire asked with a tone of exasperation.

"Well, I don't think kissing Quil is the answer." I would need to remember to thank Ariel later for that piece of advice. "Once you start something in a physical relationship, it is really difficult to go back to a point before that. Once you start kissing, it is very difficult not to kiss any more. If I were you, I would wait as long as possible for that first kiss."

"Yeah, I know you are right," I heard Claire say. I was very glad we had come to Embry and Ariel's house for this little talk. Ariel had excellent advice, and cookies!

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my cell phone ringing. "Oh crap!" I heard Claire say from the kitchen.

I looked at the clock and it was five minutes past six. "Oh crap!" I said before answering my phone. It was Sarah, and I told her we were at Embry's and would be right there.

"Don't forget your plate of cookies, once your mom tastes these she'll forget all about you being a few minutes late for dinner," Ariel said to Claire as she handed her a plate piled full and covered in plastic wrap.

"These cookies turned out really good and are super easy! Can you email me the recipe, Ariel?" Claire asked as we were headed out the door.

"Sure thing, it was good to talk with you Claire, come over anytime," Ariel called out from the door as I helped Claire into the truck.

"So, did you have a good talk with Ariel? You seem to be in a much better mood than you were earlier," I commented as we drove to Claire's house for dinner.

"Yeah, it was really good. How was the video game, which one did you play?" she asked.

"Oh, um good, uh we played…" my thoughts were interrupted by a sharp intake of breath from Claire.

"Oh my goodness, you were listening in with your super werewolf hearing, weren't you?" she accused. "I can't believe I didn't think about that before! Oh man, this is so embarrassing! I can't believe you!" she fumed folding her arms and glaring out the window.

"Claire, I'm sorry, I was just so worried about you. I've never seen you so upset before, and I was really just kind of curious." I had started out strong but lost steam near the end.

"So suddenly curiosity is enough to break someone's trust?" she threw the accusation at me.

"No, Claire, I am really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Would you like me to tell you what I've learned?"

She moved her head back and sighed looking at the interior roof of the truck, "Fine," she muttered.

"Well, I've learned that you love me as much as I love you, but that we are both not ready for a physical relationship right now," I started.

She moved her head to stare out the front windshield and made a little grumpy sound that was a little like, "Huh."

"I've also learned that you are much more grown up than I had realized, and I shouldn't call you 'little' any more," I continued.

She turned her head slightly so that she could look at me out of the corner of her eye. "That's good," she muttered reluctantly.

"And I realized that I will let you make the first moves in our physical relationship so that you are always comfortable with the pace of our relationship," I concluded.

"Well, I guess that's good…but you still had no right to eavesdrop! That's just rude! It was a private conversation," she insisted.

We pulled up to her house and I helped her out of the truck before handing her back the plate of triple chocolate chip cookies. "A little advice though, Claire, the next time you want to have a private conversation, don't do it with a couple of werewolves in the next room," and we opened the door to her house to join her family for a nice relaxing dinner.

**A/N: Just so I don't have to send it to anyone later – here is the cookie recipe:**

Cake Mix Cookies **The Ingredients**

**One box cake mix (any flavor)**

**2 ****eggs**

**1/2 cup ****vegetable oil**

**The Process**

**Preheat oven to 350 degrees ****Fahrenheit****.**

**Mix together cake mix, eggs, and oil. Batter will be the consistency of play-doh**

**Shape cookies into balls or use cookie scoop and place on a cookie sheet. Leave about 2 inches between cookies.**

**Bake for 8 -10 minutes.**

**Cool for a 2 minutes on cookie sheet.**

**Remove and let cool completely on cooling rack.**

**Cover securely with ****plastic wrap**** or put in air tight container to retain chewy texture.**

**Now seriously folks, I have given you a wonderful chapter full of werewolf goodness. I have even given you an awesome recipe for some of the easiest, best tasting cookies you will ever make. Can you find it in your hearts to give me a review? Hey, you can even try out the recipe and let me know what you think. My favorite is Triple chocolate, where the cake mix comes with the ultra tiny milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips in the chocolate cake mix. (Are we noticing a theme here?) My second favorites are a tie between lemon and spice cake mixes. Carrot cake mix makes a good cookie too!**


	18. Chapter 18 Babysitter

Chapter 18 Babysitter

**Thanks to Imma Vampire & Biree18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 14 on the 5****th**** Aug 2017, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 27 on 2 Feb 2017.**

Chapter 18 Babysitter

"Quil…Quil…will you please answer your phone?" My mother's voice came through the haze of sleep in my mind. "Quil, your phone has rung seven times in the last four minutes. It's driving me crazy, please just answer it."

"Ok…hello?" I answered the call without looking at the caller ID.

"Quil, did you forget that you said you would help me baby-sit today? Where are you? I thought you were going to pick me up at six." Claire's voice was tense with anxiety.

I glanced over at the clock, and it was five minutes before six. My wolf girl Claire knew me well enough to call ten minutes before she wanted me to be somewhere. If I was ready, I would usually tell her that I was on my way. More often than not, I would be asleep when she would call, and by calling ten minutes before she wanted me somewhere, she would give me enough time to wake up and get to her. "Sorry, Claire, I forgot to set my alarm. Thanks for the wakeup call, I'll be there in just a bit." I hung up the phone, threw on some clothes, and drove to Claire's house to pick her up.

Claire was waiting on the porch when I arrived. "Are you excited for your first big day of babysitting?" I asked her as I took a bag from her and tossed it into the truck.

She smiled at me and admitted, "I think I'm a little bit intimidated, so I'm glad you are going to be there with me."

"No problem, are you getting in?" I asked her as I held the passenger side door to my truck open for her.

Claire hesitated and pursed her lips in a way that made her dimples show. "Quil, would you mind it, I mean, would it bother you if we took the toy dollhouse over to Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily's house?" I could tell that she was very concerned about my reaction to her question. She had taken excellent care of the dollhouse I had made for her, even protecting it from Marc on several occasions.

This dollhouse had special meaning to both of us and had been our decoy from the tree house, which we nicknamed the Dollhouse, where we spent so much of our time. I also realized that Claire was now fourteen, and would be in high school in less than a month. It would be a little odd to have her friends over to study and have this massive dollhouse taking up so much space in her room. "Are you thinking of using it as a distraction for just today, or more of a permanent gift to your cousins?" I asked her.

'Well, I…what…um…" Claire struggled to form a coherent sentence.

I decided to come to her rescue on this topic. "Claire, I really enjoyed making that for you, and we have had years to enjoy it. If you would now like to share it, by giving it to your cousins, I really wouldn't mind. I know you are too old to sit around and play with dolls with your friends. It also impresses me how thoughtful you are to others," I concluded.

"Thanks Quil, I'd like to give it to them, they'd enjoy playing with it so much more than me right now. Brianna being four and a half and Carrie just turning two, they are just barely starting the age where they will really like playing with dolls," Claire said as she turned towards the house and motioned for me to follow.

I followed Claire into her room and noticed a box next to her dollhouse and that all the furnishings from the doll house were removed. Claire bent down to pick up the box and looked at me shyly from beneath her lashes. "Claire, I'm really ok with this, you don't have to be embarrassed. That packed box just tells me you know me pretty well," I teased.

"Yeah, I kind of pretty much knew you'd say yes," she answered with a shy giggle.

I laughed, "Yeah, me agreeing to something you want, not exactly a big stretch of the imagination there, huh?"

Claire paused from walking out of the room and turned to look at me again. "Are you sure you are really ok with this?" she asked again.

I lifted up the very large dollhouse and reassured her, "Claire, I am thrilled this dollhouse will actually get some more use. Let's go take it over to Sam and Emily's and show your cousins."

"Ok," she said as she headed towards my truck.

We arrived at Sam and Emily's house just a few minutes later. Sam and Emily were going on a special day trip into Seattle as a sort of anniversary type celebration and had wanted to get an earlier start. Emily was thrilled when I brought in the doll house! She had admired it for years, and was so excited when Claire said she was giving it to the Uleys that Emily momentarily forgot about their trip and all of the instructions she had been about to give.

"So Sam, since it looks like your wife would rather stay here and play dolls, what say you and I just head to Seattle?" I teased as I gave Emily a one-armed hug.

Emily jabbed her elbow into my side and responded with a quick, "No way! I have waited too long for a day with my husband to give it over to you!"

"I was just kidding." We all laughed, and it seemed to snap Emily out of her daze and back into instructional mode.

"So all of the children are still sleeping, they probably will wake up in an hour or two. Carrie can eat pretty much anything the other two can eat, just make sure that you cut her food into smaller pieces for her. She no longer takes a bottle, but you'll want to use a sippy cup for her, or you'll spend your entire day cleaning up after her, believe me!" She paused for only a mere moment to take a breath. "All three kids will do better if they have a nap, but Adam will probably fight you on it if you call it a nap. Tell him he needs to read a book on his bed, and he should be asleep with in fifteen minutes."

"My kind of reader," I joked.

"Yeah mine too," Sam said.

Emily just rolled her one good eye and continued. "There are eggs in the fridge, and pancake mix in the pantry for breakfast, Claire. Please don't let Quil touch the stove…"

"Hey," I interrupted with a slightly wounded expression.

Both Claire and Emily looked at me incredulously before Claire spoke up and said, "Quil, I am such a better cook than you, do you really need to touch the stove?"

I felt totally conflicted by this comment. For one, I didn't much appreciate being shown up by a fourteen-year old. On the other hand, this fourteen-year old was Claire, and I knew she was definitely on her way to becoming an excellent chef. That was something I would reap the benefits of for years to come. "No. I don't need to touch the stove, Claire. You can cook for me, and serve me," I said with a wink.

Claire placed both hands on her hips and, with a little glare, pursed her lips the way I loved that showed off her dimples the most and tried to stare me down. It was so hilarious to see her more than a foot shorter than me trying to stare me down that I couldn't help but laugh. She started giggling too, then just threw a towel at me from the table and said, "You're just lucky I actually like to cook for you," before giving a little huff and turning around.

I walked up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Don't be mad, my wolf girl, you know I love it when you cook for me," I reassured her. Sam and Emily looked at us with a slightly odd expression.

"Quil, come help with these bags while Emily finishes up with Claire," Sam directed me toward a small pile with a small cooler and a couple of other canvas bags definitely an amount he could handle in a single load. I knew he wanted to talk to me.

I grabbed the cooler and walked towards Sam and Emily's car. "What's up, Sam?" I asked as soon as he reached the car as well.

"Quil, watching you and Claire right now…" Sam paused to gather his thoughts. "Well, I don't know any other way to say this. She's just barely fourteen, it is just a little weird…" Sam trailed off.

I had to laugh. "Of course it's weird! You are talking about us, Quil and Claire, it's been weird since day one!"

"I'm just a little concerned that your physical relationship might be getting ahead of schedule a bit," Sam said without really looking me in the eye.

"Sam, I've never even kissed her before. Well, not a real kiss. Kissing her hair doesn't count. Besides, we don't exactly have a schedule," I finished.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair in a movement that made him look a little stressed. "Well, that's where some of my concern is frankly. When you don't have a plan, unexpected events or hormones can take over, and that's when you can find yourself in trouble."

"Sam, I appreciate the concern, but Daniel, Sarah, and I have discussed this pretty thoroughly already. There is a reason I don't have a plan. I want to allow Claire to set the pace for things as long as what she wants doesn't cross any personal boundaries of mine. I'm not going to push her into something for which she isn't ready. She has already told me that her friends are trying to pressure her into kissing a boy, and that she isn't ready for that. I think we've got it covered," I informed him respectfully.

"Yeah, well, talk is one thing. Being unsupervised in my house is something else. Don't do anything today that I'd have to be uncomfortable finding out about later," Sam muttered.

"Absolutely, no problem," I assured him as Emily hugged Claire and came out to the car.

She raised one eyebrow at Sam and asked him warily, "You need five minutes worth of help for two little bags and a cooler?" She just shook her head at Sam as she got into the car. Then she rolled down her window and called to me, "Bye Quil, have fun today. I'm sorry my husband feels the need to be in your personal business."

"What?" I could hear Sam asking too innocently.

"Oh come off it! I can't believe you sometimes …" I heard Emily start in on Sam as she rolled up her window and they drove away.

I walked back into the house shaking my head and laughing. I found that Claire was in the kitchen at the sink washing her hands. Spurred on just slightly by what Sam had intimated, I went up behind Claire leaned over her and whispered in her ear, "So are you ready to play house today?"

Claire had the exact reaction I had hoped for; she giggled like crazy and gave an enthusiastic, "Heck yeah!" in response.

"Ok, what are we going to do first, my little wolf wife?" I joked with her.

Claire grimaced at my use of "little" and then quickly responded with "Well, first the big werewolf husband needs to wash his paws, then he will help crack the eggs." Claire paused for a moment looking at me contemplatively and asked, "You do know how to crack eggs, right?"

I scoffed and said, "Of course I do. What do you take me for, some kind of cooking novice?"

Claire raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips so that her dimples showed before she shrugged her shoulders and said, "You never know."

Claire took command of the kitchen and just about the time she was finished cooking breakfast, all three of her little cousins were awake.

"Ok, who is going to help me set the table?" I called out to Adam, Brianna, and Carrie. A chorus of "me" rang out before Claire interrupted.

"Oh, W.H.," she began, "Don't you think you should help them find their clothes for the day first?" Claire asked as she moved the last of the pancakes from the griddle to the serving platter.

_W.H.?_ I questioned myself, _what does that stand for?_ I thought through the conversation we had just had._ Oh, werewolf husband. She probably didn't want to use either one of those words in front of her little cousins who might repeat them to their parents. I have one_ _smart cookie on my hands_! "You are so right W.W., but seeing as Carrie is two, and a girl, how about you help her? In fact why don't you help Brianna and Carrie? I can help Adam if he needs it, and we'll set the table before you are done," I suggested.

The plan was put into action and successfully completed. Claire and I joked using our new "terms of endearment" of W.H. for me and W.W. for her throughout breakfast, and the clean up after.

"So W.W., we finished with breakfast, what should we do now?" I asked Claire keeping up the little game we had begun.

"Well, I am actually pretty excited to set up the dollhouse with Brianna and Carrie. Do you think you can entertain Adam while we do that, oh W.H. of mine?" she said before she burst into giggles. I think she was really getting a kick out of playing house.

"Well W.W., I am pretty sure that Sam has a video game or two that might keep us entertained," I responded jokingly.

"Video games? Sweet! Dad just bought a new one a couple of days ago, and he said we could play it!" Adam said before racing to set up the game.

"See, W.W., what did I tell you? No need to fear. We have video games. We'll stay out of trouble," I told Claire before I went to the middle of the family room to play video games with Adam.

We were playing a game that had us taking turns, so I had several opportunities to watch Claire playing with the girls. They began by going over to the dollhouse on the side of the family room and opening the box. First they played interior designer. I watched Claire carefully as she interacted with her cousins. She would hold up a single piece of furniture and be so animated in her talk with Brianna and Carrie as she described its wonderful features. She was using an intentionally silly pretentious voice as she was pretending to be an interior designer. I was able to watch her face as her over exaggerated features would send the girls into fits of giggles.

I loved how expressive Claire's features were. In fact there were so many things I admired about Claire's looks. I liked her delicate eyebrows that raised and lowered as she spoke. Her chocolate-brown eyes were the exact same color as mine, yet I saw her soul in their depths. Her dimples were one of my favorite of her features. I loved the fact that her dimples would show both whenever she was happy or frustrated. I loved her raven hair, silky smooth and straight to her waist. I noticed that as she leaned over to help the girls play, Carrie kept accidentally sitting on Claire's hair. Claire was calm and patient with her little cousin who was just barely two years old. She simply took her hair and braided it so that it would stay out of her way.

I didn't often fantasize about the future; most of the time it hardly ever crosses my mind. It seems like a dangerous slope on which to play. However, today with all the werewolf husband and wolf wife joking around, not to mention Sam's little overprotective rant earlier, my mind definitely drifted in that direction. I could see qualities in Claire that were beginning to develop that I knew would make her a great mother some day in the future. Claire was compassionate, patient, and a peacemaker. I watched her between round of video games and every once in a while I would catch her doing something instinctively that I had seen Sarah do dozens of times. I was once again very grateful to Sarah and the wonderful mother she was training Claire to be through her daily efforts.

A little before noon, Claire stopped playing and went to make lunch for everyone. "W.W., what's for lunch?" I called to her from the family room.

"I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," she called from the kitchen. "They are almost ready. W.H., will you please help the children wash up for lunch?"

I laughed at the subtle little way she took the game to the next level. I hardly even noticed that I was following her every command even more than I had when she would play the princess and make me her servant boy when she was little.

I followed Brianna, Adam, and Carrie to the table for lunch and immediately laughed at what I saw. Claire had taken fruits and vegetables and cut them up into bite sized pieces and cute shapes. She made a sandwich for each of her cousins and cut them into triangles. Then she had taken each one of their plates and arranged the pieces to make a picture. For Adam she used the PB&J to make a sailboat riding on waves of bite-sized celery pieces and grapes with a carrot stick sun. For Brianna she made a pinwheel and took the celery and grapes to make the designs on the plate. Carrie's sandwich had been cut in much smaller pieces, and so her plate had a design of flowers. Carrie's grapes were even cut in half so she could eat them easier without them getting stuck in her throat. I looked over to my plate, and it was piled high. It looked as if she had used an entire loaf of bread to make a stack of PB&J sandwiches for me. "W.W., you are amazing!" I complimented Claire.

"Wow, cool a sail boat!" Adam said as he sat at the table.

"Oh a pinwheel, I love pinwheels!" squealed Brianna. "What does Carrie have?" she asked Claire, trying to see the top of Carrie's high chair from her chair, but unable to see.

Claire lifted up Carrie's plate and showed it to Brianna and then Adam. "It's flowers," she told them.

"Quil, what's on your plate?" Adam asked me.

Before I could come up with a good response, Claire blurted out, "It's the Sears Tower."

I totally burst out laughing at that. "Oh Claire, that is just perfect! I need to eat a tall building worth of food to fight back my appetite! What is on your plate?"

"Oh, just a regular boring sandwich," Claire said. "I don't need anything special or fancy."

"I think you're getting into playing the mom role a little too much today, W.W. You are even beginning to sound like one," I replied taking a large bite of the top sandwich. "These are perfect! You are such an excellent cook!" I complimented.

Claire burst out laughing. "These are peanut butter and jelly. How much can you mess up that?"

"You forget I have lived with Embry. You don't even want to know the ways you can mess them up," I said with an exaggerated eye roll that got the Adam and Brianna giggling. That of course got me in a bit of a silly mood, and I was stuffing entire sandwiches in my mouth and rolling my eyes until all the rest of them, including Claire, were laughing so hard that milk actually came out of Adam's nose and Claire fell off her chair.

We got everyone calm enough after lunch to settle down for nap time. Claire, in her usually excited for something habit, had a difficult time getting to sleep last night and had awoken very early this morning and was just as tired as Carrie by the time we were done cleaning up the lunch mess. Claire had gone into the hallway between Adam and the girls' room to read stories to them as they fell asleep, but she ended up falling asleep by the third one. It was so adorable to see her leaned up against the wall head bent over to the side, a large picture book resting on her lap. I worried if I tried to pick her up, that she would wake up, but was even more worried at how bad her neck would cramp if she stayed as she was.

I carried Claire to the couch and lifted her head so I could slide underneath and rest her head on my thigh. As I removed my warm hands from her head, she shifted in her sleep to her side and snuggled into the couch. I watched her as she slept. She was so beautiful and peaceful and looked so childlike and innocent. My mind had been carried away in the enjoyment of our little game today, but this was a nice reminder for me. Claire was just barely fourteen, and although she wanted to do so many of the things that grownup women do, she was still a very young woman, practically still a child. I know Claire hated me calling her my "little" wolf girl now because she felt she was too old for that name. I also looked down and saw a girl not too different from the one that had let me call her little.

It was sweet, and I was caught up in my thoughts for more than an hour as Claire slept next to me. After the Uley children woke up from their naps, we decided to go on a nature walk with them. We spent most of the post-nap afternoon outside looking at every tree, leaf, rock, and bug anywhere near their house.

Claire offered to make dinner. I guess she wanted it to be edible, and we had spaghetti and garlic bread. I never fathomed the messy possibilities of spaghetti until I saw little two year old Carrie Uley dress herself and half the kitchen in the noodles and sticky red sauce. Post-dinner bath time was a no-brainer! With my height being a distinct advantage for the job, I took on the duties of cleaning the kitchen.

After Carrie's bath, Claire put her right to bed. Adam and Brianna came in and watched a short child's cartoon movie before bed. We put them down and retired to the family room to watch a little TV before Sam and Emily got home.

We were half watching TV and half talking through our day. Claire was rather exhausted and leaned up against me on the couch. "Today was fun, my werewolf husband," Claire commented during a commercial break, "but I also think babysitting three active kids all day would be great birth-control for any teenager!"

"I agree, playing at being grownups is fun and all, but I think it would be much better if we wait to have children until we are mature enough that we can safely make it through a lunch without milk coming up out of anyone's nose," I replied, "or dinner without the kitchen being redecorated in spaghetti."

"If we wait until you are that mature, I might be too old to have children," Claire teased me.

"Are you saying that I am immature?" I asked Claire and leaned over to tickle her.

"Yes…that's…exactly…what…I'm…saying," Claire got out in between bursts of laughter. She was squirming away and I kept reaching out to tickle her. We ended up falling off the couch, and I hit the floor with Claire falling on top of me.

At that moment I sensed someone outside, and I knew we were in trouble. My entire frame tensed. "What's wrong?" Claire asked, suddenly as worried as I was.


	19. Chapter 19 Unwelcome Intrusion

Chapter 19 Unwelcome Intrusion

**Thanks to Imma Vampire & Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 14 on the 5****th**** Aug 2017, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 27 on 2 Feb 2017.**

Chapter 19 Unwelcome Intrusion

At that moment I sensed someone outside, and I knew we were in trouble. My entire frame tensed. "What's wrong?" Claire asked, suddenly as worried as I was.

I immediately rose to my feet and as gently as I could manage tossed Claire onto the couch. "Stay exactly where you are! Don't move!" I ordered as I moved further away from Claire. My body began to shake, and I tore off my shirt and kicked off my shoes.

Behind me I heard Claire gasp, "Is there…is it…" Claire couldn't quite get a mental grasp on the question she was trying to ask.

"Claire, just stay exactly where you are so I won't have to worry about you," I said forcefully. _What should I do?_ I rapidly went through different scenarios in my head. I was responsible for Claire and the three Uley children, yet I couldn't let this vampire get away. I quickly decided I should go in the other room to get out of my pants and phase in hopes that I could contact one of the other members of the pack. I took out my cell phone and tossed it to Claire. "Call Jacob, tell him there is a problem outside Sam's house," I said.

Claire caught the phone and dialed Jacob's number, "Jacob, oh good, there's a problem outside Sam's house…"

There was a sudden crash of glass, and I instantly phased, being so grateful I was on the other side of the large room from Claire.

Claire screamed at the sound of breaking glass, and I heard Jacob's voice over the phone seconds before I heard him in my head.

_Quil, what's the problem? I heard a crash and Claire scream,_ Jacob asked my mind.

_Vampire_ was all I thought, and I knew Jacob on his way.

_What is happening?_ I heard Seth's thought next.

_I can smell a vampire outside of Sam and Emily's house. I'm inside with Claire and the Uley kids. I heard glass crash in the kitchen, but haven't wanted to leave the kids unprotected with it so close._ I thought to the others, my thought passing to them in an instant.

_We're almost there. I can see her!_ Leah thought. _She is on the east side of the house. Do you just smell the one?_

_Yes, it's distinctly a single vampire. _I responded._ What do you think it wants with Sam's house?_

_Well, Sam is out of town right now, and he was the last one to kill a vampire. Do you remember that male bloodsucker a few months back that Sam told us he got? Maybe this is its mate, _Seth suggested.

_Quil, go into the kitchen and stop it from going into the house, _Jacob ordered.

_With pleasure,_ I moved to the kitchen and growled at the leech; the fur stood up on the nape of my neck. I heard Claire whimper; she had never seen this side of me before.

_It'll be ok, she's tough,_ Leah responded to my thoughts of Claire. _Focus on the bloodsucker. _

_I have her blocked from in here,_ I reported.

_Leah, you grab the south flank, Seth you have the north, I'm coming from the east side. Quil, you have to protect the house from inside the kitchen, it will be her only way of escape. We go on my count of three. One, Two, Three!_ Jacob thought, and they got her. The high keening of ripping vampire was soon at an end, and pieces were moved to a place to be burned.

I turned to return to the family room and saw that Claire was standing in the family room with a direct view of the broken window. I swiftly phased back and slipped on my pants and shirt.

"Was that…that was…that was a vampire, right?" Claire struggled to get out.

I raced to her and embraced her firmly; she was shaking like a leaf. "Oh Claire, I wish you would have stayed on the couch." I muttered into her hair.

"That was a vampire, wasn't it?" she asked again.

"Yes it was, but it's taken care of, you don't have to worry about that one anymore," I reassured her, stroking her back with slow calming movements. Her shaking had almost completely subsided. I walked her over to the couch, and we sat down. "It was really lucky that Seth and Leah happened to phase too, the four of us were able to easily take care of her."

"It wasn't luck, I called over to their house," Claire explained.

"You did?" I asked her totally surprised. I held her against my right side and used my left hand to move the stray hair from her face and stroke her cheek.

"After I called Jacob, I thought you might need some more help, and Seth and Leah live together, so I thought I might get two werewolves with one phone call," she said, obviously pleased with her actions.

"You are so smart! I knew I loved you for some reason," I said as I hugged her again. "Thank you so much, you saved the day."

At that point Jacob, Seth, and Leah entered the house. "Claire saved the day? What about my superior vampire attacking skills?" Jacob teased.

"I asked Claire to call you, and she thought we might need some help so she called Seth and Leah too," I explained to them as they came in and sat on the couches.

"Two werewolves with one phone call," Claire added.

"See, she's really smart, and saved the day," I bragged to the others. They all nodded and thanked Claire.

"We should probably clean up that glass before Sam and Emily come home, but I'm a little scared to go into the kitchen by myself right now," Claire admitted a little shyly.

"Claire, let the fast healing werewolves work with the broken glass," Leah said. "Why don't you and Quil see if the kids are still sleeping?"

I nodded and stood helping Claire up at the same time. Not only was she a little scared, but I was also a little worried about her too. We went and checked, and fortunately all of the children were still sound asleep.

We went back to the couch, and I sat down before pulling Claire onto my lap. "It has been a long day Claire, why don't you try to get some sleep," I suggested. I lifted one leg up and removed her shoe, and then did the same with the other. I held her on my lap, resting her legs on the couch cushion next to me. I was glad that she was still short enough that when she sat on my lap, her head came just below my chin. She rested her head on my broad shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her and rocked her gently. I began humming to her the lullaby I would always sing to her at her naptime when she was little, and she was soon fast asleep. I sat there gently rocking and listening to her slow deep breathing.

"Well, that's one way to celebrate a vampire victory I suppose," Jacob said as he came in the family room.

"She's totally exhausted. I think she woke up at like four this morning, cooked three meals, played with her cousins, bathed them, put them to bed, and survived a vampire attack. I'd say she has earned the right to sleep," I surmised.

"Wow, you have one incredible girl there, Quil. I hope you know how lucky you are," Jacob said with a tone of awe.

Seth entered the room and announced, "We found some plastic sheeting to tape over the broken window for tonight. We can fix it in the morning. Do you know what time…"

He was interrupted by Sam bursting through the door protectively holding Emily in his arms. "Is everyone alright? Where are the kids? Are they safe?" Sam fired off the questions in rapid succession.

Jacob put his hand on Sam's shoulder and reported, "Everyone is safe, the kids are asleep they didn't wake up. We got the bloodsucker; it is taken care of permanently."

With that Sam relaxed his stance, and Emily went to go check on the children.

"We couldn't find any glass to fix your window tonight, so we covered it up with plastic, but it should be an easy fix tomorrow," Seth filled Sam in on the condition of the house.

"Do we know who it was or what they wanted?" Sam asked most likely concerned for his family and the possibilities of further attacks.

"We don't know for sure, we didn't exactly sit around and chat with the leech, but it looked familiar, we think it might be the mate of the bloodsucker you killed a while back," Jacob informed Sam.

The information that there would most likely not be further attacks on his home and family seemed to calm Sam down enough to take a better look at his surroundings, and he suddenly stiffened as he realized that Claire had been sleeping in my lap the entire time since he had walked in the door. He suddenly turned a frustrated glare on me. "I thought I told you to back off the physical contact, she's just barely fourteen," he said pointedly to me.

"Sam, Claire just witnessed a vampire attack the house, saw me phase in front of her, and more than likely saw Jacob, Seth, and Leah behead and dismember that vampire as werewolves less than an hour ago. She was extremely exhausted from the day, and completely overwhelmed by what she saw, so I rocked her to sleep and sang her a lullaby. Me holding Claire while she sleeps is not a problem here," I finished.

From behind me I heard a completely surprised Emily, "She saw all of that? Did any of the others see it?"

"Your children all slept through the entire thing. You would be proud of Claire though, even in the middle of the attack she had the presence of mind to call over to Seth and Leah's house because she knew if they were there she could get two members of our pack over here with a single phone call," I told them, pride permeated my tone.

"Wow, I didn't realize that was the case, I'm impressed," Leah said.

"Yeah, like I said, Quil, that's some girl you've got there," Jacob said, then with a touch of added humor, "Just don't do anything to screw it up."

I chuckled at the thought. "Trust me, the last thing I would ever do is intentionally mess things up with Claire!" I stood, still holding Claire in my arms, "Well, I'd better get 'Sleeping Beauty' back to her house. Good night everybody," I told them as I headed for the door.

"Quil, good night, and Sam and I thank you and Claire for such a wonderful job today! No other pair of babysitters could have kept our kids so well taken care of and protected," Emily said with a quick one armed hug.

Sam opened the back door for me and patted my shoulder with obvious emotion in his eyes expressed his gratitude, "Yeah, thanks for keeping my family safe…and sorry about giving you a hard time about Claire."

'No problem, just don't let it happen again," I teased with a wink.

"Yeah right, she's my niece, and just barely a teenager, that's not a promise I can keep," Sam laughed.

"Fair enough," I called as I reached the truck.

Jacob opened the door and helped me settle Claire in to the seat with her safety belt on. When I got in Claire was still sleeping, but she had started to shake and whimper in her sleep. I unbuckled her seatbelt and moved her to lean up against me buckling her in the middle seat. Her breathing immediately returned to normal, and she snuggled into my side. The ride home was short, but full of conflicting emotions on my part. I wasn't sure how to approach her parents over what had happened and what I should do to help her feel safe and protected.

When I arrived at Claire's house, there were a few lights on, and I could tell her parents were waiting up for us. Before I even reached the door, Daniel had flung it open and I could tell by the look of concern on his and Sarah's faces that they had heard what had happened.

"Emily called us," Sarah announced. "Is Claire alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," I began, "I mean, physically she's perfect. But I think she's a bit freaked out by everything. I'm concerned about her having nightmares."

"I'm concerned about _me_ having nightmares, and I didn't even see anything," Sarah said shakily, closing the door behind me and locking the deadbolt. "Would it be a horrible inconvenience for you to stay here tonight? I know I would feel much more safe and protected if you did," she asked politely.

"Thanks, I'd actually prefer it," I admitted. "Let me just go and put Claire down." I walked to Claire and Skye's room and set Claire down on her bed. As soon as my warmth left her body, she immediately became agitated and started whimpering in her sleep. I noticed a change in the amount of light in the room and instinctively placed my hand on Claire's shoulder. Claire calmed down, and I turned to see that Daniel and Sarah were both standing in the doorway. Realizing it was only them, I took my arm from Claire's shoulder, and she instantly became restless again. I looked over my shoulder at Daniel and Sarah with a pleading, helpless look wondering what I could do to meet Claire's needs.

"Why don't you bring her back into the living room," Daniel whispered to me.

I picked Claire up again and followed them into the living room. I could see Daniel and Sarah having a whispered animated discussion in which they both looked uncomfortable. Sarah bit her lip and nodded as they seemed to come to some agreement.

"Ok, we are both a little uncomfortable with this decision, but we are really concerned for Claire and would like her to get some rest after the overwhelming day she has had today. It seems like she won't sleep well unless she can tell you are there. Would you be willing to help her sleep?" Daniel struggled to get out the request.

"Sure, how about if I lay Claire on the couch and I sit next to her?" I suggested.

"Oh, Quil, that won't be very comfortable for you to stay seated all night," Sarah said, feeling more than a little guilty at her request.

"Well, it's either that or lay next to her," I saw Daniel stiffen at that, "and I don't think that's appropriate."

Daniel relaxed, and I placed Claire on the couch. I sat somewhat leaning into the corner of the couch and rested Claire's head on my thigh and my arm on her shoulder. "Do you mind if I watch a little TV to unwind a bit?" I asked.

"That would not be a problem at all, Quil," Sarah said sweetly. "Thank you. Thank you so much for all you do for Claire and our family. We are really grateful."

"Yes, thank you so much, Quil," Daniel added before they headed off to bed.

I looked down at my brave Claire. As I saw her mouth tense in her sleep and saw her dimples appear, it was difficult to think of her as old enough to be of great assistance to me in a vampire fight as she had been mere hours before. Playing house with her today had made me realize just how wonderful the marriage and children part of our life together would be. Looking at her angelic face as she slept, she was still my little wolf girl, innocent and brave. _Oh, how I love my Claire_, I thought as I drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20 Stolen Kiss

Chapter 20 Stolen Kiss

**Thanks to Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 14 on the 5****th**** Aug 2017, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 28 on 2 Feb 2018.**

Chapter 20 Stolen Kiss

A little more than a week ago I had celebrated my 16th birthday, again, and Valentine's Day was less than a week away. Claire was fourteen and a freshman in high school. She had the option like all La Push kids of going to Forks high school or staying at the small school on the reservation, and she had chosen to stay here. She said she wanted to be closer to me. When I had discussed with her that I worried about holding her back from things in her life, she said that she didn't want to do anything in her life that wouldn't involve me. When I started to argue with her about it again, she just pressed me further and asked me what things_ I_ wanted to do in _my_ life without her being a part of them. That ended the discussion rather quickly as I couldn't think of anything in my life that I didn't want to share with Claire in some way.

Our patrols had been very consistent since the attack on Sam and Emily's place. With only five in our pack, I got a turn to patrol with each of them, and everybody's thoughts seemed to center around Valentine's Day. Seth wasn't too bad, he was thinking in general terms. Leah had been cracking me up with her boycott of the holiday she referred to as "Single's Awareness Day." The majority of Jacob's thoughts of Nessie, and Embry's thought's of Ariel were enough to make me desire some bleach for my brain. They also had been thinking over gifts and romantic settings, and it really had me thinking. I came home tonight pondering the ideas that they had been planning for their loved ones.

I had always gotten Claire the same thing, a box of conversation hearts and a heart-shaped box of chocolate. Claire loved chocolate, so that was really never a bad choice. I thought about adding more to it, but everything I thought of seemed to be so much more what a boyfriend would give to his girlfriend. That was what really had me thinking things over.

I had made a promise to Daniel and Sarah years ago that I would obey their family rules. One of their family rules was no dating until sixteen. I knew that Skye had snuck around on that rule a bit, but I had worked for too long building up trust with Claire's parents to damage it now. I rested on my bed still a little too wound up from my run to sleep just yet as I mulled over what I would do for Claire for Valentine's Day. I finally decided that I would continue with the tradition of a heart-shaped box of chocolates, but as her tastes had developed, I would just buy her a much better quality chocolate this year. I pictured picking her up from school on Tuesday the fourteenth, handing her the box of chocolates, and hanging out at the Dollhouse in the afternoon and doing a puzzle together like last year. Once I could see it in my mind, I calmed down and was able to fall asleep.

Tuesday morning I dropped Claire off at school and handed her a box of conversation hearts with "To: Claire From: Quil" written in the spaces on the back. This had also been part of our Valentine's Day routine for a while. I looked down at the box of conversation hearts in Claire's hands and thought about the box I had given her in Valentine's Day when she was in the first grade. She had told me that "real" candy always has chocolate and that if I wanted to get her good candy, it would be the chocolate kind. When she was at school, I had gone to the store and purchased a heart shaped box of chocolates and given it to her at the end of the school day.

My thoughts were interrupted by Marc getting out of the car. "Bye, Quil!" Marc called as he climbed out of the truck.

"Goodbye, little guy," I called out to him before Claire shut the door behind him, remaining in her seat.

"Aren't you going to school today?" I teased Claire. She hadn't really spoken all morning.

"I will," she mumbled. Claire paused looking at the box of conversation hearts and turning it over and over in her hands. In a very quiet whisper she said, "You don't have to treat me like a little kid, you know."

I was a bit confused, so I asked her, "What do you mean by that?" I looked towards her face, but she kept her head down so that I couldn't see her eyes.

She lifted the box of conversation hearts in my direction. "You have been giving me these since the first grade," she sighed.

"Claire, that's not treating you like a little kid, that candy is all about tradition," I told her.

She finally looked up, "What?" she asked with confusion in her eyes.

"Well, I've been giving them to you every year, right?" I paused and she nodded. "If I had only given them to you from, say, first through fourth grade, and then given them to you this year, that would be treating you like a little kid. I've been doing this every year, and plan to do it every Valentine's Day for the rest of your life, so that makes it a tradition. You better get used to it, wolf girl. There aren't a lot of traditions you can keep up for less than fifty cents a year," I explained with a grin and a slight nudge to her shoulder.

Claire finally began to relax a little. With a small partial smile she said, "You are still going to get me some real candy later on right?"

I laughed, "Claire, you know me better than anyone else does. Do you really think I lack so much intelligence as to go a Valentine's Day without giving you chocolate? I have to give you chocolate if I want to stay out of the dog house."

Claire fully laughed at that comment, and gave my arm a quick hug before exiting the car and saying, "See you and my chocolate after school!"

I spent most of my day working on finishing up a web design for a new client. My job was going really well, and I was also building up quite a little nest egg for the future. I had still been able to keep my expenses pretty low; I was really glad my truck had been holding up, and hadn't needed to be replaced yet.

I sat watching the clock the last twenty minutes before it was time to leave to pick up Marc and Claire from school. I had purchased a tin fire truck full of gummy hearts for Marc. I had gone all out for the chocolate for Claire this year. I had ordered the "Sweetheart Special" from Rebecca's Chocolates in Sandy, Utah. It was a two pound amazing mix of truffles, crèmes, and nut clusters that had been made fresh yesterday, and delivered overnight, arriving just two hours ago. I knew that Claire would be able to appreciate the incredible smelling freshly made chocolates.

Finally, it was time to go pick up Claire and Marc. I was very careful to hold the box of chocolates by the edge and place it on the opposite side of the truck to avoid melting them with my werewolf heat before I was even able to give them to Claire. I got to the school and still had a few minutes before school was done. I guess in my excitement, I had rushed a bit.

I sat in the truck with the music on, flipping the radio stations between the upbeat popular music stations resting on one when I found a song I liked. I half watched the weather and half watched the children coming out of the school. It was a light drizzle of rain, and it seemed like it would stay that way. The weather would be perfect for going to the Dollhouse. Marc was one of the first children out of the school, and opened the door so quickly that I almost had to use werewolf speed to move the box chocolates before he sat on it.

"Whoa there, Marc, where's the fire?" I joked with him.

"In my teacher's desk," he replied.

Marc was a slightly odd child and I just sat there looking at him slightly discombobulated. I finally just shook my head and handed him the tin fire truck full of gummy candy. "Well, here's a fire truck to help put out the fire then," I answered with an awkward smile.

Marc grinned and immediately opened the container and began digging into his candy and chattering as best he could with his mouthful. "I got lots of valentines and almost all of them had candy on them or with them or…" he paused to take a breath and slurp up the red drool that was beginning to fall from his mouth.

"Oh, gross, Marc! That is seriously one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen, and I eat at your Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily's house," I told him turning away, as my stomach rolled from the sight of his stuffed mouth and drool, to scan the yard for Claire.

"Where do you think I learned it?" he asked. His words were barely distinguishable through his mouthful of candy. If eating habits were an indication of becoming a werewolf in the future, this kid was going to phase before he was in high school.

I scanned the area in front of the school for Claire but still didn't see her. I looked for her chocolate-brown raincoat and didn't see it. I looked for her waist long braids that she had been wearing this morning when I dropped her off at school. I looked a third time and saw her friend Willow standing over by the flag poles, and a very pretty girl standing next to her. I continued to scan for… All of the sudden my brain just stopped.

I looked back to the very pretty girl next to Willow. She had her hair pulled back from her face with a barrette at the top of her head that let her waist-length hair cascade in gentle waves all the way down her back. She had a snug fitting fuzzy raspberry-colored sweater on that made her skin look very healthy, and hugged her very curvy torso down to her hips. Her eyes looked smoky and the little bit of makeup she was wearing made her eyes stand out to the point that I couldn't look away. I was completely stricken by this beauty. The only time anything had ever come close to this was that day so many years ago when I had first seen Claire… _Claire._

The thought of Claire made me want to look away from this ravishing creature that suddenly looked directly at my truck and began walking towards it. I felt a slight guilt and panic set in for a few moments until Willow and the beauty got a few steps closer to the truck. _Wait, could that be? _I ran the wipers to clear the windshield of the tiny drops that had created a fuzzy filter of my front windshield. With a clear window in front of me I could immediately see the long lashes, the dimples, and all the other features that made my Claire, Claire.

I was instantly struck with two conflicting reactions. The first was relief that this girl that had me riveted as much as my two-year-old Claire, was in fact my fourteen-year-old Claire. The second was shock that I had obviously noticed Claire as a sixteen-year-old boy notices a beautiful girl that is almost his age. As much as I wanted my brain to take over at that moment, my face couldn't help but gawk with a huge grin from ear to ear.

Willow and Claire continued to walk toward the truck, and I shook my head to clear it. My thoughts raced. _Even though you technically stopped aging, no court in the land would believe your claim to be sixteen, Quil. I promised her parents, house rules. No dating until she's sixteen. No romantic, physical relationship until she is sixteen. That decision has already been made and promised TO HER DAD. A year and a half, only eighteen months. You just noticed, you can pretend you didn't, you can un-notice. Yeah, right. _

Claire opened the door of the truck and I could feel that I still had the goofy grin on my face. Willow looked smug; Claire looked a little shy and then disgusted. The look of disgust on her face brought reality crashing down around me. _She's fourteen, and no matter how many times you try to convince her that you are sixteen, you have still been an adult to her for her entire life, _I chided myself. I was suddenly able to look away and escape the trance that Claire's new looks had placed me under.

"That is so disgusting!" Claire yelled. I was filled with remorse, suddenly heartsick and guilty.

"Eww, I know! Marc you're drooling red slime! If you get any on my sweater that Claire is wearing, I will make you pay," Willow screeched.

Filled with relief once again that the disgusted look wasn't for me, I looked over at Marc. It was even more revolting than before.

I leaned over and took a few random napkins left over from fast food stops out of the glove box and handed them to Marc. "Go outside and clean up. Don't touch anything. Let the rain help remove some of the stickiness." Marc grabbed the napkins and hopped out of the truck, looking up at the sky so that his face would get a little wet from the drizzling rain. "Sorry about that, ladies, apparently I should never give gummy candy to that boy again," I said to Claire and Willow.

Claire got a huge grin on her face, but it was Willow who answered me sarcastically with a, "Ya think?"

Claire continued to smile as she got into the middle seat of the truck to the point where I knew something was going on. "Why are you smiling like that, Claire?" I asked her.

"You never called me a lady before. It's kind of grown-up. I like it," she said satisfied.

"Huh," was all I could answer out loud. Inwardly I was kicking myself. Here I was trying to be subtle and not let her know that I was seeing her in a different light for the first time, and she instantly recognized that I had used a new "grown-up" term for her, lovely. I decided distraction would be the key to my success. "Claire, here are your Valentine's Day chocolates," I said as I handed her the deep-burgundy velvet heart shaped box.

"Wow," Willow said, "those look really expensive, and they smell fantastic!"

Claire opened the box, leaned over the chocolates, and inhaled. "Oh, Quil! These smell amazing!" Claire almost moaned.

Willow burst out laughing and said, "And on that note I'm leaving! Bye, Quil. Bye, Claire. Have a great Valentine's Day you two." She stepped back from the truck a little and looked at Marc with a, "Hey drool boy, you missed a spot. I'm out!" Willow waved to us all and jogged over to her mom's van.

"Interesting friend you have there, Claire," I told her with a slight shake of my head.

Claire didn't look up from her chocolates. She mumbled, "She says the same thing about you," before she chose a piece and put it in her mouth. She let it begin to melt in her mouth rolling it around a little with her tongue and not chewing it. She let out a heavenly moan and sank on the bench to the point where she was almost onto the floor of the cab.

I took my head in my hands and shook my head back and forth as I tried to wipe that image out of my brain. She obviously had no clue as to what she was doing to me, and I was beginning to rethink the entire chocolate gift!

A less disgusting Marc climbed back into the cab and shut the door. We all put seat belts on and I drove to their house. I kept my eyes riveted to the road, and shuddered each time Claire ate a chocolate and expressed her joy and pleasure with her Valentine's Day gift.

When we arrived at their house I began to take evasive action. As Marc ran in to show his mom the new fire truck tin, I suggested to Claire that she might want to leave the chocolates at home so they didn't spill all over the forest floor. I also hinted that she might not want to get "dog" hair all tangled into her friend's sweater, so she might want to change. I could tell from the look on her face that this messed with her plans a bit, but that she would rather have a wolf ride and not ruin the sweater, than follow her and or Willow's original plans. Claire invited me in for a minute, and so I followed behind her.

As we walked into the house, I could tell she had taken Sarah completely off guard with her new look. Sarah didn't look quite as stunned as I had felt, but she was rendered speechless for a moment. "So apparently Claire has a little bit of a makeover at school then?" Sarah struggled to get out.

"Yeah, apparently," I mumbled. Then I had an idea. "Hey, is Claire allowed to wear makeup?" I asked Sarah innocently.

"Oh, sure," Sarah answered. "She has been able to wear it since her birthday. I'm a little surprised she started wearing it today. It seems a little out of the blue."

"Well, I think Willow had big Valentine's Day plans for Claire and me," I answered Sarah's questioning.

"Oh, sorry," Sarah apologized. "Girls can get such strange ideas in their heads sometimes," she said with a bit of a chuckle.

At that point Claire returned and was dressed much more appropriately for riding in jeans and a sweatshirt with her book bag over her shoulder and a raincoat over her arm. "Are you ready to go?" Claire asked me as she grabbed a few snacks out of the cupboard.

"Hold on a second," Sarah said with a slight motherly edge to her voice. "Please be home by five thirty today. Skye has a date, and your father and I are going out to dinner so I need you to watch Marc."

"May Quil stay and hang out while I'm watching Marc?" Claire asked her mother.

Sarah looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure Quil, if you would like to stay, you are more than welcome to be here until we get home," Sarah said to me more than to Claire. She then reminded us, "We have reservations, so please be here by five thirty at the latest."

"I think we can finish Claire's homework by then," I teased Claire with a grin.

Claire just looked at me and groaned so quietly that her mother couldn't hear her, "How romantic."

I wasn't sure what kind of nonsense Willow had been putting into Claire's head, but it was beginning to make me feel just a little bit nervous.

I turned to Claire, "Are you ready to run?" I asked. She nodded, and we headed out the door as I told Sarah, "Don't worry, we'll be back on time."

The ride to the Dollhouse was uneventful, and for that I was very grateful! Claire had been making me feel a bit nervous since I saw her after school. I changed and went to pick up Claire as usual for climbing the oversized ladder into the Dollhouse. I held her by the waist and picked her up, and then she wrapped her legs around my waist, and her arms around my neck. It was the same way we had ascended and descended the ladder since the very first day, and I thought nothing of it.

I began climbing the ladder, and Claire turned her face into my neck. Her nose was rubbing gently back and forth on my neck and her breath was moist and cool as she exhaled using a little extra force, mere millimeters from me. I involuntarily shuddered at her nuzzling and froze in my ascent about three feet from the Dollhouse.

"Claire, what on earth are you doing?" I managed to get out as I pulled my head back and looked her in the eyes.

Claire didn't speak, and I could hear her heart racing as she looked down at my lips. Before I could process what she was doing, Claire tightened her grip around my neck pulling towards me as she kissed my lips. I was frozen with shock and too stunned to respond for a moment.

I came to my senses and held on to the ladder with my left hand. Using my right hand I grabbed Claire by the waist and shoved her up and into the Dollhouse. Immediately after I was sure she was safely inside, I dropped the ten or more feet to the ground and began pacing. I needed to calm down so I could deal with this properly. I also needed to figure out what it was that I wanted.

It just didn't really make sense to me. _Claire all of the sudden, out of nowhere, wearing makeup, tight sweaters, and KISSING ME? This was just… this seemed so…unlike my Claire. _Then it hit me that this most likely wasn't Claire's idea.


	21. Chapter 21 Ground Rules

Chapter 21 Ground Rules

**Thanks to Birdee18, Whippit, Imma Vampire, glc, and my daughter Nita for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 14 on the 5****th**** Aug 2017, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 28 on 2 Feb 2018.**

Chapter 21 Ground Rules

It just didn't really make sense to me. _Claire all of the sudden, out of nowhere, wearing makeup, tight sweaters, and KISSING ME? This was just… this seemed so…unlike my Claire. _Then it hit me that this most likely wasn't Claire's idea.

I paced the forest floor trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. This caught me totally off guard. I had been very focused on keeping Daniel and Sarah's no dating until you are sixteen rule. As they explained it to me, that was no boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, not just going out in a car together to go to dinner and a movie type of dating. I guess I had just figured since this was a family rule that Claire had been made just as aware of the rule as me. I paced back and forth under the tree some more. The thoughts were rolling around in my head so scattered and so fast that it was too difficult to grab hold of any one thought in particular and make it stay. It was like trying to watch clothes in a washing machine and trying to study one particular item as it whirled with the others.

I ran my fingers through my short black hair and tried to get a grip on something. I was brought immediately back to reality when I heard a shuddering intake of breath. Claire was crying. I looked up to the window of the Dollhouse to see her standing at the window watching me pace below. The clock that I could see on the wall behind her was indicating a time much later than I had thought it was. I must have been pacing without coherent thoughts for at least ten minutes! No wonder Claire was beginning to worry and cry. My instincts told me to run to her and comfort her sadness, but I knew I needed to figure this out for myself first.

I walked over underneath the Dollhouse and sat against the trunk of the tree opposite from the trap door. I put my head in my hands and rested my elbows on my knees. I needed to figure out something. I needed to figure out what I wanted. _What do I want?_ I asked myself. For so long I had focused on trying to be happy with where I was. If I was always looking forward to the time that Claire and I would be married, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy any of the last twelve years. Like those old Sheryl Crow song lyrics, "It's not having what you want. It's wanting what you've got."

Why was this so confusing? I had been perfectly happy with things they way they were this morning. _Has anything changed for me? Do I want something different than I did this morning? _As I sat and asked myself these questions, I realized that the answer was no. Giving in to a physical relationship with Claire could potentially ruin the trust that Daniel and Sarah have placed in me, the trust that I have earned. It would also be just that, giving in. An intimate physical relationship wasn't something I sought out right now with Claire.

I heard Claire moving across the floor. Most likely she was looking out either window for me. I heard her walk in the opposite direction from where I was towards the trap door. Some of her hair dropped through the opening, so I could tell she was leaning down to look for me. I hear her voice very quiet, almost a whisper as she called out to me, "Quil, are you still here?"

I looked up and shook my head still wondering what on earth I was going to say to Claire. She was my whole world; I didn't want to have to stay away from her. I didn't want to compromise my goals or integrity to please her either. I tried to think of what I could say to her.

I then heard her voice again. It was even more quiet and very shaky, "I'm sorry. Quil, I'm so sorry." She began to sob heart wrenching cries, "Please, Quil, if you're still there, I'm so sorry." She was fully sobbing now, and I could see her hair vibrating with each sob.

My mind suddenly snapped back to reality, and I rose to my feet and went over to the ladder. This was no longer about rules and boundaries, this was Claire, my Claire, heartbroken and worried I had left her stranded. I got to the bottom of the ladder, and as I looked up at her I quietly said, "Claire, I'm still here." I paused and she looked up at me, her eyes filled with regret. "I'm going to climb up so we can talk," I said before ascending the ladder.

As I reached the top I could see that Claire had moved from the opening and was curled up on a pink bean-bag chair hiding behind her hair, still crying. I went over near her and sat a few feet away from Claire, leaning with my back against the wall, facing her. She wasn't saying anything, so I thought that I would initiate the conversation. "So, Claire, do you want to tell me what happened today?" I began.

I only saw her head shake telling me that she didn't want to tell me as her waist-length hair practically hid all of her. I was pretty freaked out by her behavior on the ladder, but this just broke my heart! I couldn't help it; I had to do something to make my Claire feel better. I started to move forward and hesitated a bit. I suddenly took a deep breath and let it out it one big sigh before moving the few feet over to where Claire was and wrapped my arms around her. I rested my chin on her head and took another deep breath as Claire continued to sob into my shoulder. I moved my head and kissed the top of her hair. "Claire, I'm not mad. You just really freaked me out. I … I just don't understand what happened between yesterday and today. I…" I let out another big sigh into her hair and felt her shiver. I let her go and backed up to the wall again. "Claire, I love you. I will always love you. Please talk to me," I gently begged.

Claire tilted her head to the side a bit, and lifted her head until she was able to peek at me through her hair. The loving concern she must have seen on my face evidently gave her the courage to speak. She was still trying to get her breathing under control as she began. "I…I w-walked into t-the school…" Claire sucked in a deep unsteady breath and continued. "Skye was k-kissing her boyfriend. Willow was standing n-next to me…and …and Tracy Longman bumped into me." Claire put her face into her hands as she paused and struggled to steady her breath.

"Did Tracy hurt you when she bumped into you?" I asked her hoping to figure out what had happened.

Claire shook her head, "The box of…of conversation hearts that you gave me…t-they fell on the floor." She inhaled another deep ragged breath getting fairly close to having her crying under control. "Tracy…Tracy started making fun of me. She…she said that it was 'so cute' that my 'babysitter' still got me little candy hearts." Claire started to look up at this point. I could tell that her annoyance at what had happened earlier in the day was overcoming her sadness over more recent events. "I told her that my 'boyfriend' was both fun and romantic, and so in addition to this little fun tradition, he also got me a really nice box of chocolates." Claire said this with emphasis before she blushed a little as she looked at the floor in front of her.

"Claire, don't worry about being embarrassed. I'd really like to know what happened today," I encouraged her.

Claire continued to look at the floor, but took a deep breath and continued saying, "Then even Skye was making fun of me. Right in front of Tracy, she said 'Oh, really? Your boyfriend, have you even ever kissed him?' I couldn't believe that she would be so mean." Claire looked up at me. "Tracy totally laughed in my face, and Skye just gave me a nasty look and walked away with her boyfriend. Willow…Willow even said to me, 'Claire, are you sure you can call him your boyfriend?' I was in total shock! I mean, Willow is supposed to be my best friend!" Claire paused there for a minute before continuing her story.

"Did you say anything to her?" I asked hoping to get to the part of how she ended up wearing Willow's sweater.

"At first I couldn't really even say anything. I was just so stunned. I guess she figured it out, because then she asked me if I wanted you to be my boyfriend. She said she would help me at lunch," she stopped, seemingly just as she was getting to the point of the story.

"So did Willow put makeup on you at lunch?" I asked.

"Yeah, and she did my hair different, and she traded my shirt for her sweater. She said it looked more 'grown up than the boring shirt I was wearing.' I was thinking it did because all of the boys in the class paid a lot more attention to me after lunch than they did before," Claire recalled.

I remembered how she had looked, and was positive that every male in that classroom noticed the difference. I had a difficult time recognizing Claire at first, and I have seen her practically every day for the last twelve years. I was a little nervous to ask this question, but I knew I had to or it would be bothering me for weeks. "Claire, how did you feel about all of the boys paying attention to you all of the sudden?"

Claire shrugged, "I don't know. It didn't make any difference to me."

I have to admit I was rather relieved when I heard that. I hadn't ever been jealous before with Claire and was glad I didn't feel the need to start. "So did Willow give you any suggestions for after I picked you up from school, or was that all your idea?" I asked her.

She hid behind her hair again and mumbled, "I don't want to talk about it."

I let her think things over for a minute or so before beginning with, "Well, there were a couple of things that happened today that I need to talk with you about, are you ready for that?"

She didn't move but did mumble a quick, "Uh huh."

I wondered where to start. I decided to pick up where she had left off but was afraid that if I came directly out and asked her why she had kissed me, I'd never get an answer. I decided to approach it a different way. "Claire, there are things you've made promises to yourself about, right? Things you've committed to either do, or not to do?"

Claire looked directly at me for the first time in a while. Her expression held a bit of confusion as to where I was headed with this line of questions. "Um, yeah, I don't ever want to drink any alcohol," she answered.

"Well, how would it make you feel if someone spiked your punch or soda at a party sometime? Even if it didn't taste bad, you didn't get sick, and you didn't get drunk from it, would it still bother you when you found out?" I questioned.

Claire looked indignant. "Of course it would bother me! I don't want to be an alcoholic. Too many people on this reservation have had a relative affected by alcohol, and I don't ever want to drink. It would totally bother me if someone made me and I didn't have a say in it."

I sat there and watched her for a few moments to see if she would make the connection on her own. Then the thought occurred to me that it had probably never occurred to her that I might have had goals or commitments to myself about our physical relationship. I continued with the conversation by saying, "Claire, what if you had promised yourself that you weren't going to kiss someone until you were married, and then someone just kissed you. How would you feel then?"

Suddenly Claire's eyes were huge and she blurted out, "You aren't going to kiss me until we're married?" As soon as it was out of her mouth, she flushed with embarrassment and then quickly hid behind her hair again.

I was more than frustrated with Claire hiding behind her hair. Without a word I stood up and went over to the dresser that held a few toiletries and pulled out a hairbrush and some elastic bands from the drawer. I closed the drawer and went and sat behind Claire. I slowly and gently pulled her hair back from her face and began to brush her hair from the bottom taking gentle care not to pull any knots. I had fixed her hair thousands of times over the years, but she had always asked me first. When I realized that I had started without permission I leaned over and quietly asked, "Claire, may I brush your hair and put it up, please?"

Claire nodded and said, "Yeah."

I continued with the gentle brushing and noticed that Claire's shoulder began to relax a little. With the steady gentle rhythm of the brush strokes and the familiarity of routine, Claire's breathing also became more steady and smooth. "Is it ok if I do French braids?" I asked her.

"If you want to, it's ok with me," she responded quietly.

French braids down either side of her head, were my favorite on Claire. They seemed to emphasize her high cheekbones and flatter her dimples. Because I liked them so much, I had asked Sarah to teach me how to French braid Claire's hair. When Sarah was pregnant with Marc, she was too sick to braid Claire's hair in the mornings. She had actually taught me in the afternoons using Skye for practice. I had even practiced on Emily's hair a few times until I was comfortable that I knew what I was doing.

Claire interrupted my thoughts with, "Quil, I'm sorry I kissed you earlier." She spoke very softly and her voice was repentant.

"Thank you for apologizing, Claire." I paused as I concentrated for a moment on matching the second braid to the first as I braided over her ear. "Claire, I wasn't planning on waiting until we were married to kiss you. I was however planning on waiting until our first real date."

"And when do you see that happening? Our first date I mean," Claire responded.

"Well, I was planning on the fifth of August 2019. Would you like to go on a date with me that day?" I asked her.

"My sixteenth birthday? Don't I get a party?" she asked.

"You can have a date and a party in the same day," I replied. I finished up the second braid and wrapped the end with an elastic band.

"Yup, I'll go out with you then. Why do you want to wait until I'm sixteen though?" Claire asked.

I flipped the braids to the front and got up to put the brush away. "Claire, haven't you had the no dating until you are sixteen talk with your parents yet?"

"I think I heard a rumor about something like that from Skye, but she was always finding ways around it, so I never figured they were really serious about it," she answered. Then asked, "Quil, where did you learn how to French braid hair? Not many sixteen year old boys know how to do it."

I sat down in front of Claire again and told her, "Your mom taught me when she was pregnant with Marc. That is my favorite hairstyle on you, and your mom was too sick to do your hair, so I learned."

Claire immediately looked humbled. "Wow, you did that for me?"

"Of course I did, Claire. I want to do things for you. You are my whole world. I love you," I told her looking directly into her eyes and watching her expression change with my words.

Claire began to tear up a little and moved her head as if to hide behind her now braided hair. "So if you love me, are you my boyfriend? I know you are my imprint, but I can't exactly call you my imprint at school…"

"I know, it's complicated, even among the other imprints, our situation is different. Most of the others were older than sixteen when they imprinted, or didn't have any family dating rules, or both. I have promised your parents I would follow the family rules. They told me that the family rules were no dating and no boyfriend/girlfriend relationships until you are sixteen," I told her.

"It's difficult to know that we are soul mates, that we belong together and not be allowed to date," Claire said.

"But Claire, once you start something in a physical relationship, it's really difficult to stop doing whatever you were doing. Once you hold hands romantically, it's tough to stop. If you start kissing, it's difficult to go back to just holding hands. We need to follow your parents' rules, but we need to make them our rules. Then we need to follow our rules even if some idiot girl, or your sister, makes fun of us because of it," I finished.

"Idiot sister is more like it," Claire muttered.

"Did Skye have something to do with what happened today?" I asked her.

"Yeah. She told me to…um…do that stuff on your neck. She…she said that you would either…turn in to kiss me, or that…you would move back because you were surprised and then I…um…should grab you around the neck and…kiss you," Claire finished so softly that I could barely hear her with my werewolf hearing.

"Yeah, well, just because you can have power over someone else's body doesn't mean you should use that power. Claire, we need to have some ground rules for our relationship. Us, not your parents, not your sister, not the pack, not the kids at school, we need to decide what is right for us," I told Claire gently but with determination in my voice.

"Like not kissing until we start actually dating?" Claire asked.

"Yes, like that. Is that something you can…would _you_ like that to be one of _our_ rules?" I asked her, as I looked into her eyes.

"Yeah, Quil, if I'm not ready for dating, I'm not ready for kissing. But, what if I'm ready for dating when it's like…two months before my sixteenth birthday?" Claire asked.

"Good point there. I'm most likely going to be ready for sex two months before our wedding date," I said with a tone of irony in my voice. "We still need to decide, for us, that we will wait until we are married, and stick to that even if everyone else is telling us something different. If we decide now, when we aren't totally tempted, then it's easier because we won't have to decide in the heat of the moment when our brains might not be working as well," I said.

We sat there for a moment in quiet contemplation. Claire was the first to interrupt the silence. "I think I would like us to not go past first base until we are married then. I think it would be easier to wait for…more if we only ever kiss or hold hands while we are dating," she contributed quietly.

"Yeah, I agree. It would also be easier for that to happen, if you never borrow Willow's sweater again…or nuzzle into my neck like that…or blow in my ear when I'm in my wolf form," I finished.

Claire immediately burst into giggles. "But blowing in your ear is like a gas pedal in a car, it makes you go faster." She was obviously both clueless as to the total effect that had on me and unrepentant about her use of my "accelerator" to make me go faster.

"Claire, my running speed is not the only thing it affects. You really need to stop blowing in my ear when I'm running," I emphasized.

She was still giggling and had a bit of a devilish look on her face, and I could tell she had no clue as to what she was doing to me. I thought the only way she is going to understand this is if I show her what effect this has.

I leaned forward until I was mere inches in front of Claire, gazing into her eyes until she ceased giggling. I then gently took her face in both of my hands, and she sucked in a gasping breath. Then I knew she was ready for a little demonstration. I leaned into her face until I was only an inch away from her lips, then swiftly turned my head to the side and breathed, "Claire," into her ear. I knew I had the desired effect on her because I could hear her heart racing! I continued to hold her face as I moved away from her ear. I looked deeply into her eyes and asked her, "Do you feel like kissing me now?"

Claire was in a bit of a daze as she slowly nodded her head and barely whispered, "Yes."

I changed the mood to something much more casual by instantly dropping my hands from her face and leaning back on my elbows. I smiled and in a very upbeat and jovial tone and normal volume I said, "See, that's why you can't blow in my ear when I'm running!"

Shock was clearly evident in Claire's expression. She even shook her head to clear the haze. "Hey, that was kind of mean. You shouldn't do that to a person. I totally thought you were going to kiss me or something," she said accusingly.

"Exactly, that's my point. That's what it feels like to me when you blow in my ear when I'm running," I explained.

Her face softened with the realization, "Oh, I'm sorry, Quil. I really didn't understand."

"I know, that's why I had to demonstrate, but I don't want to have to demonstrate again, so can we just call something that affects us like that, an ear thing?" I asked.

Claire got a wide smile showing her dimples, she loved secret code between the two of us. "Sure, and…uh, I kind of…well lately…" she stumbled before finishing in a rush of words, "um, when you don't wear a shirt it has been an ear thing for me lately."

I nodded, "I'll try to be aware of that. Ditto on the tight sweaters and bikinis…lately."

She ducked her head and nodded. "So you'd prefer I wear a one piece this summer?" she asked.

"Yeah, that would…be helpful," I answered almost awkwardly. "So, uh, the ladder…do you think that maybe I should put more rungs on the tree so that you could climb it? I haven't done that yet because I figured it would keep anybody out that happened to find the Dollhouse. Maybe instead I should add more rungs and a lock on the door?" I looked over and saw Claire staring at the floor looking as if she were about to begin crying again. I waited for her to speak.

"I'm sorry, Quil, I don't want to change everything. They just got to me today. I won't do that again, not before I'm sixteen, I promise. Do you think you could give me another chance?" she begged.

I couldn't help it, looking at her, my heart nearly broke. I scooped her up in my arms and hugged her as she sat wrapped in a ball in my lap. "Definitely, Claire, we can try again. We just need to remember that we are on the same team; it's us against the rest of them."

Claire nodded and relaxed into my chest. "So when my friends ask what you are to me, friend, boyfriend, or whatever…what should I tell them?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, maybe Ariel or Emily are home and would have some good ideas. Do you want to see if maybe Embry and Ariel would like to come over and watch a movie with us tonight?" I suggested.

"Quil, it's past five on Valentine's Day. Don't you think they have plans already?" Claire asked.

I whipped my head up looking at the clock, only ten past five; we could still make it to Claire's house by five thirty. "We need to leave right now, your mom needs us home by five thirty," I told her helping her off my lap and standing up. "Claire, will you behave on the ladder?" I asked her looking deeply into her eyes for any possible mischief.

"I'll be good, I promise, I don't want to lose the good things we have," she assured me.

Everything went smoothly on the way back to Claire's house. Her parents left on their date, and I called Embry. Although he had been contemplating all sorts of plans all week, he hadn't ever settled on something, and when I spoke with him, he still hadn't come up with any plans yet. He was thrilled to have the invitation for him and Ariel to come for dinner and watch a romantic comedy with us. He even played it off like he had it planned for weeks.

After dinner and a few cartoons for Marc, he went to bed, finally down from his sugar buzz. We put in an old romantic comedy we had all seen several times and settled in for snacking and chatting during the film.

"So Embry, are you still going to try to play it off like you planned this all along, or are you willing to let go of the lie and just enjoy it like the rest of us?" I teased Embry as we sat down and handed sodas to our girls.

"Dude, why are you ratting me out? I had her fooled," Embry said with a swift punch to my bicep.

"You don't have to hit him Embry. You have a smart wife, I figured it out. When everything was a secret until five thirty when the phone rings, and then you are able to tell me the master plan of coming over to help baby sit…let's just say my choices were between thinking you were the least romantic man on the planet, or the cheapest. Or, I could actually be your imprint and know you well enough to know that while you have most likely been pondering, stewing, and stressing over what to do for the past two weeks, nothing could top the beginning of the month, and you kind of gave up until Quil called, am I right?" Ariel finished.

I burst out laughing, I couldn't help it. "Embry, she knows you better than I do, and I get to share your thoughts!"

Claire started laughing at that then turned to Ariel and said, "That actually reminds me of why I wanted Quil to invite you over here tonight. I had a little question about what to tell the girls at school and I was hoping that you might be able to help me with it."

"Sure, what seems to be the problem?" Ariel asked.

"Well, everyone is asking about boyfriends. My parents say that I'm not allowed…"

"Claire, it's our decision to make," I interrupted and gently reminded her.

Claire began again, "Right, sorry. Quil and I have decided to not date or be boyfriend/girlfriend until I am sixteen." Claire looked at me, and I gave her a smile of encouragement. "The girls at school bug me about not having a boyfriend, and when I said earlier today that Quil was my boyfriend they teased me because at that time I hadn't kissed him yet." Both Ariel and Embry's heads whipped over to look at me. They caught on that she had kissed me today. I gave a tight smile and a miniscule nod. Claire continued without interruption, "So they said he couldn't really be my boyfriend. I know Quil is my imprint, but it's not like I can tell anybody that, or explain what it means to them. I just really don't know what to say Quil is to me, when I'm around my friends."

Everyone had now ignored the movie to the point where I just pushed the pause button. Ariel had turned to sit sideways on the couch, completely facing Claire. Ariel took a deep breath and began, "Claire, the very first time I met you, you explained to me what imprinting was." We all smiled at the memory. "Now you are quite a bit older and have several years of experience with this whole imprinting business. I want you to tell me. What about imprinting makes your relationship with Quil different than what the other girls your age have with their boyfriends?"

Claire thought about this for a moment while she nibbled on a chocolate chip cookie. "Well, I know Quil really loves me. I know I can totally trust him. I know that we are going to get married later," Claire looked directly at me as she continued without missing a beat, "because I want to marry Quil. I know he will never intentionally hurt me." Claire shrugged her shoulders and said, "I guess that about says everything."

Ariel smiled at her. "All of those can really be put under two categories. You trust how the two of you feel, and you feel secure about your future together. Now since you aren't even dating yet, I'm guessing your friends don't need to be informed of any future wedding plans, right?" We all chucked at that.

"Right," Claire said with a smile that showed her deep dimples.

"The other is really about trusting feelings. While that is something that they might be able to understand, you still really don't need to explain it to anyone, and it still wouldn't really answer the boyfriend question. So really, we need to look at the boyfriend issue. Claire, if you hadn't imprinted, you could still decide not to date until the age of sixteen. If you were in that position, what would you tell your friends about having a boyfriend?"

Claire got a very quizzical look on her face. "I…uh…I guess I would just tell them I wouldn't date or have a boyfriend until I'm sixteen."

"Well, there is your answer then," Ariel announced proudly, sitting back and stretching a bit.

"But I have Quil!" Claire protested.

Ariel sat back up and with a serious face asked, "So what title fits; boyfriend, husband, brother, best friend, cousin, neighbor, lover, babysitter, or protector extraordinaire?"

Claire laughed at the last one, "I guess best friend probably fits best, it just doesn't feel like it's enough. I feel like I want to tell the girls at school more."

"I think this is just one of those times where you and Quil know something, and it just kind of sucks that you can't share it with the world. There are some things that are like that like pack business, and then there are other things that you can share." She quickly glanced over at Embry and with a gleam in her eyes continued. "Like when you are two weeks pregnant, and are going to have a baby like Embry and I are, then you can totally tell everybody. Right, Embry?" Ariel finished with a huge grin looking right at Embry.

"Yeah you can tell something like…wait. What?" Embry froze in place. He looked like a statue in a wax museum, or like he was frozen in a state of suspended animation.

I waved my hand in front of his face. "Earth to Embry," I called out, but he was too stunned to respond. I looked over at Ariel who was busting a gut laughing with Claire and said, "So I take it this is new information?"

"Yeah," she managed to get out between bursts of laughter, "I took the test a couple of hours before we got here."

"Congratulations!" Claire said.

"Yes, Congratulations!" I added and slapped Embry on the back. That seemed to snap him out of him stupor enough to go hug his wife.


	22. Chapter 22 It's An Ear Thing

Chapter 22 It's an Ear Thing

**Thanks to Imma Vampire, & Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 15 on the 5****th**** Aug 2018, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 28 on 2 Feb 2018.**

Chapter 22 It's an Ear Thing

August in La Push, Washington, is the hottest month of the year, but with the average high of 69 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), and a low of 49 degrees Fahrenheit (9 degrees Celsius), it was still cool enough to be out in the Dollhouse without the need for air conditioners or fans when temperatures were normal. Today was a normal and comfortable day. Claire and I were spending time in the Dollhouse each working on our own projects.

I looked up from my laptop to rest my eyes and glanced over at Claire, who was busy sewing long pieces of a bright pink fabric together. "Claire, what are you working on today?" I asked her.

Somewhat distracted, she let up a bit on the pedal of the sewing machine and answered, "Curtains for my bedroom."

"You are going with bright pink?" I said somewhat incredulously.

At this, she paused and turned to look at me. "Quil, Skye leaves for college tomorrow. She has never really let me put things up, or decorate the way I've wanted to, in our room. I haven't really ever made a fuss about it because I have all this," she motioned to the Dollhouse. "But, have you noticed how dark and ugly it is in my room?"

"No, Claire, I don't go in your room, it's an 'ear thing' and I just need to stay clear," I reminded her.

"Well, it has been getting ugly," she informed me. "The walls are too purple, and Skye has put rock posters and teenage-boy-nakedness posters all over the place. With her leaving, Mom and Dad said I could repaint and decorate the way I wanted to decorate. With my small window of opportunity to have my own room, I figured I'd make it funky pink."

"What do you mean 'small window of opportunity' to have your own room? Skye's going away to college. Do you really expect her to be back to share a room with you?" I asked.

This time Claire dropped the fabric from her hands onto the table and swiveled her chair towards me. She crossed her arms over her chest, cocked her head to the side, and raised an eyebrow at me. "You really aren't thinking that through, are you?" she asked with disbelief.

"What?" I was completely dumbfounded.

Her expression turned a bit sarcastic as she said, "Well I didn't think _you_ would want to sleep in a room with hot pink curtains anymore than Skye wanted to."

I hadn't even thought about the possibility that I would be her next roommate. I mean I'd thought about us getting married in the general terms of things, someday, when she's old enough, but Claire wasn't even old enough to date yet. I definitely, for my sanity's sake, had _not_ thought of the practical aspects of marriage, like the fact that we would be roommates. _Sharing a room, sharing a bed,_ I had to stop my train of thought!

Claire fortunately interrupted my thoughts at that point with talk of paint. "Mom said I have to compromise on the paint color, though. I have to get something that she would like for her sewing room later. Mom said she doesn't want to have to repaint in three years."

"What happens in three years?" I asked her completely lost.

"She is going to make my room a sewing room after I move out," Claire stated.

"Move out?" I asked her, still a little lost.

"Quil, I just turned fifteen…" She paused, waiting for me to catch up to her line of thinking. "I'll be a sophomore this year…" I still wasn't following the conversation. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Then I'll be a junior, that's year number two. Then I will be a senior and graduate; that is year number three. I'll be eighteen three years from now…" She paused as if her telling me she was going to be eighteen was all the information I would need for it to be obvious to me.

"You'll be eighteen…" I repeated slowly; then it hit me. She probably didn't want to stay at home and go to Peninsula Community College. Maybe she wanted to move away to go to school. My stomach grew tight at the thought of her being away from me. I looked at the floor, and it seemed to swirl a little under me.

"Quil?" I could hear Claire ask through my daze. "Quil, what are you thinking about? You look like you're going to be sick."

"You want to…" I began. I had to stop and take a deep breath before continuing. "You want to go _away_ for college then?" I managed to ask. I was filled with fear at what her answer would be.

Suddenly, Claire was standing in front of me. She took my cheeks in her hands and lifted up my face so I would look her in the eyes. "I'm never leaving you," she said with passion and conviction. I immediately believed her, and my body reacted to that belief. My stomach relaxed to the point I no longer felt like I was going to hurl. "Quil, I don't know when _you_ are planning on it, but I looked it up and my eighteenth birthday is on a Thursday…" Claire paused for a moment and looked even more intensely in my eyes. "Quil, I thought we could get married on that Saturday, two days after my birthday."

"Oh," was all I could manage to get out. I had finally caught up with the conversation. _She doesn't want to leave me… she wants to marry me… in three years_. I suddenly was very aware of my imprint, my soul mate, holding my face, looking at me with intensity and love, her lips mere inches from mine. "Ear thing," I somehow managed to get out, using our code for when things were physically getting too intense, although, I had been the only one who had needed to say it so far.

Claire immediately dropped her hands from my face and walked back over to her chair and sat down. She spun around in her desk chair once. She looked carefree with her arms outstretched as she spun. "Sorry about touching you like that, Quil. I could just see you freaking out a bit and I was trying to make things better, not worse," she apologized.

"Claire, you did make things better… but, three years?" I asked. "Eighteen is a very young age to get married. Don't you want to go to college?"

Claire looked at me with skepticism, "Quil, you just about tossed your cookies because you thought I was talking about going away to college."

She was right, and I felt horribly guilty about the idea of holding her back in life. "Claire, I don't want my selfishness to get in the way of your education," I told her.

"So you're saying I can't go to the local community college after we get married then?" she said with shock and a look of…amusement?

This entire conversation had me way too confused. "What? I uh…no…I mean yes…you..."

Claire burst into a fit of giggles. "Quil, I am totally teasing! It's alright with you if I want to take classes at the local community college after we are married, or take classes online like you did, right?"

_Finally, something that makes sense,_ I thought. "Absolutely, Claire!" I said to her.

"Well, then you don't have to be worried about holding me back from an education," she stated with confidence in her voice. She turned back to her sewing table and picked up her fabric again. She then looked over her shoulder and asked, "So, will you help me paint my room?"

"Sure thing, my wolf girl," I said in a daze. "I think I'm going to go back to my work now. This little break has kind of stressed me out," I muttered.

Claire laughed lightly and turned back to her sewing machine. She had the pedal floored and was sewing seams at lightning speeds within seconds.

I finished my work for the day at five in the evening. I got up and stretched my shoulders and continued by rolling out the tension from my arms and neck. I looked over to Claire; she was still bent over her work. "Are you about ready to go?" I asked her.

"Aahh mmfft," came her muffled reply. She turned her head towards me and gave me a little smile, her lips holding half a dozen pins.

"Oh, porcupine lips, I like that look. Maybe you should go to school like that," I suggested. I never really felt threatened by, or jealous of, any of the boys at her school, but it wouldn't hurt for them to have a visual reminder to stay back.

Claire quickly finished using the pins from her mouth, stood up, and looked over at me. I was still stretching and had my arms up over my head. Claire got a small smile on her face as she looked over at me. Her eyes moved towards my torso, and she quickly shook her head in the slightest movement and frowned. I put my arms down and tugged on my slightly snug T-shirt to pull it down from where it had lifted as I stretched. I held out my arms to Claire and asked, "Are you ready for the monkey elevator down from the Dollhouse?"

Claire actually looked rather uncomfortable at that point, and she played with the braid that hung over her right shoulder. "Umm, I think I'll just, uh, hold on to your back this time…if that's ok?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sure, Claire, anything you want," I answered. I was confused by this sudden turn of events, and I am sure it was evident on my face.

"Ear thing," was all she said, but it told me everything I needed to know. Claire had been turned on by me somehow. I replayed what just happened and realized that Claire must have been turned on looking at the couple of inches of my exposed stomach. While I didn't want to make anything difficult for Claire, I was pleasantly surprised that looking at my body, and so little of it at that, had been a turn on for her. Suddenly Claire turning sixteen didn't seem so far away. Heavens, even eighteen didn't seem that far away. I was shocked by the amount of pleasure I received from thinking about how our relationship would change as Claire got older.

I helped Claire onto my back and began the descent of the ladder. I got a smile on my face at the thought that Claire was physically attracted to me. This was the first real indication I had that she felt that way about me. I let my thoughts go for a second before I reminded myself that we still had another year before we could date. Still, it was nice to know that the girl that talked of marrying me in three years was physically attracted to me.

We reached Claire's house in record time, and walked in to see a few boxes marked "Skye" and a few suitcases in the living room. "Need any help with the boxes?" I offered.

"Absolutely," Daniel said as he patted me on the shoulder. "We are leaving pretty early in the morning, and it's not raining at the moment, so I thought we could put them in the car now. You know, while I have your help for the lifting," he said with a big grin.

"No sweat. In fact, I can get them if you want to catch the door and the trunk of the car." I have to admit, I was showing off a bit for Claire as I lifted all of the boxes and suitcases so I could carry them at once out to the car.

"Impressive," Claire admired with a sly grin as I walked by with the load. When I came back in and sat down, she handed me a glass of water and whispered in my ear, "Of course, it would be much more impressive without werewolf strength."

I looked over at her with a questioning smile. _Was she just flirting with me? _I thought._ I think she was actually flirting with me! If she keeps this up it should make this next year very interesting,_ I thought to myself sarcastically.


	23. Chapter 23 Baby Makes Three

Chapter 23 Baby Makes Three

**Thanks to Birdee18 & Imma Vampire for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 15 on the 5****th**** Aug 2018, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 28 on 2 Feb 2018.**

Chapter 23 Baby Makes Three

After Skye left for college, Sarah and Claire had decided to repaint Claire's room in a soothing light shade of green. Claire described the color scheme of her room to me as flowers, with the paint being the leaves and stems, while her bright pink curtains, bedding, and accents were like the petals. I only heard as much of it as I did because I knew it was something important to Claire. Decorating was not something I paid attention to or was really good at; I was just there for the muscle and height.

School started up again on the reservation, and Claire spent less time at the Dollhouse than she did during the summer. She decided to move about half of her sewing things into her room at home. She felt this would give her more flexibility with when she could do her sewing. I also noticed that many of the things she took to her house were the items that she had thought about giving to her mom. Claire was always very generous and thoughtful. I was a little sad at first when I thought of Claire setting up her sewing in her room. I worried that it would mean a lot less time that she would spend in the Dollhouse, time the two of us spent together. But Claire had enlisted my help to set up her room for sewing, so we had seen each other more than we had in the first week of school.

Claire and I completed a plan of how we would lay out her room with her bed and sewing area. We also had in the design plans that included lining most of the walls with cabinets and shelves. We took the plans and computer renderings to Sarah and Daniel for approval, Sarah was ecstatic! Claire would enjoy it for now, but as soon as Claire moved out, the room would be ready for Sarah to have a sewing/guest room just as she wanted.

"So that went well," I teased Claire as we finished talking over the plans with her parents.

"Yeah, I thought my mom would like it, but I had no idea how excited she would be!" Claire said in astonishment.

"So when do we want to begin working on the shelves?" I asked her as we rested back on the couches in her living room, looking over the plans.

"Well, today is Sunday. What time is it?" she asked with her eyes closed and her head resting on the arm rest.

I had to laugh at this. "Claire, you are the one facing the clock. Open your eyes and look to see what time it is."

"I'm too sleepy. I already had to do a paper for English this weekend," Claire said with a bit of a pout.

Just then my cell phone began to ring. I looked down to see Embry's name on the caller ID. "Embry's calling; I wonder what random thing he needs now?" I mused to Claire.

Before I could fully complete my sentence, Claire's phone rang. "It's Ariel," Claire announced before she gasped and asked with excitement, "Do you think it's time?"

We each answered our phone calls and found that it was in fact the time for Ariel to have her baby. Embry's voice was shaking as he spoke with me. "Quil, dude, we're on our way to the hospital…what? ...Oh, huh, that's pretty funny. Sorry, Quil, I guess my girl is talking to yours right now."

I looked over at Claire and winked. "Really? You called me at the same time Ariel called Claire? Sweet."

"What do you mean you can hear Quil in stereo?" I heard Embry ask Ariel. Embry turned his attention back to me. "Is Claire there with you right now?"

"Yeah, we were just looking over plans to see what lumber and supplies we needed to buy to finish up Claire's room," I paused to tease him a little. "So, we are just going to finish up that list and head over to buy them…"

"What?" Claire and Embry both said at the same time. I winked at Claire, but kept Embry going. He was nervous, and therefore was easily distracted, and teasing was easy.

"Yeah, we need to get the wood, the paint, and some hardware. I figure it will take us a few hours," I looked at Claire and nodded towards the door. Claire got off the phone with Ariel, telling her we were on our way, and that I was just being a typical boy teasing Embry. She headed to the kitchen to tell her parents we were headed to the hospital.

"Quil, you can do that another time. If you don't get Claire to the hospital soon, I will personally take a chunk out of your furry hide! The longer you take, the less Claire will appreciate the location where I remove the missing part." Embry's voice was almost a growl.

"Dude, Embry, chill I was only joking. We are getting in the car right now. We'll see you in about fifteen minutes," I reassured him before saying our goodbyes and hanging up.

"He's too stressed for you to be teasing him like that," Claire said. "Lay off him once we get to the hospital, ok? The whole reason _you_ were asked to be there is so that you could keep Embry calm and to keep the rest of the pack from seeing what Ariel doesn't want them to see. You aren't helping Embry stay calm when you are teasing him like that. The last thing Ariel needs to worry about right now is Embry freaking out and phasing while she is trying have a baby," she scolded me.

"I know, you're right. I'll be on my best behavior at the hospital," I said repentantly.

"And you're going to not annoy Ariel? No balloon animals out of the latex gloves? No tongue depressor puppets?" Claire asked with a tone of accusation.

"Hey, you used to love that stuff when you were a kid and had to get your immunizations," I defended myself.

"Yes," Claire giggled a little, "but Ariel is not five years old going in for a pre-school well visit. She is having a baby, and unless she asks for balloons and puppets, you are to leave the doctor's supplies alone, do you understand?" she asked with as much seriousness as she could manage through her grin.

"Yes, mother," I said with a big pout.

"Eww, Quil, there is enough that is weird about our relationship as it is. Please, do not ever call me mother again," Claire said, looking completely grossed out. She turned and looked out the window, and I saw her shiver as she thought about it again.

I had to laugh out loud. "Yeah, not the mama. Claire, you are so perfect for me, I'm so glad you are my imprint."

She turned back to me and smiled. She started to reach out her left hand towards me and then pulled it back to her lap. I raised an eyebrow at her and glanced down at her hand and back to her face. She gave me a quirky half smile that really showed her dimples, and she simply said, "Ear thing," and I knew I had really touched her heart.

We rode in comfortable silence the rest of the way to the hospital. I was really beginning to worry about what this would be like. Ariel had been absolutely miserable lately. According to her, she was more than two weeks past her due date, but the doctor was convinced that she was right on time. While there were many times during Ariel's pregnancy that I looked at her and thought longingly of my future with Claire, the last month had not been tempting in the least! Hearing Embry's thoughts on patrol was enough to make me want to delay Claire becoming pregnant until she was thirty! Ariel had been cranky and short tempered, and as we walked into the hospital I was getting a little nervous for what this day would be like.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a huge smile on a rather relaxed Ariel as we got into the room. "Hey, you look happy!" I said in shock as soon as we entered the room.

Everyone laughed, and Ariel said, "Well, I know I will finally be getting this kid out of me! I am not leaving here until it is out and I no longer have to have it dancing on my bladder!" Eww, not an image I needed.

"So have you decided on the names yet?" Claire asked and was met with a groan from both Ariel and Embry. They had decided to not know the sex of the baby until birth because they wanted to be able to keep at least one thing a secret from the pack. I had just assumed that they were also trying to keep the name a secret.

"Wait, you two seriously don't have a name picked out yet? I thought Embry was just trying to hide what you had picked by going through lists and lists of names. You were actually undecided?" I hit Embry on the shoulder. "Dude, you can not be seriously thinking of calling your kid Imogene."

"Imogene?" Ariel shrieked, "See, this is why I don't want to do the vowel thing!"

"What vowel thing?" Claire asked as she walked over to the side of the bed and sat in a chair next to Ariel.

"Since my name starts with 'A', and Embry's starts with 'E', he wants to name our child something that starts with 'I'," Ariel explained, rolling her eyes.

"It just makes sense; you say that you want three kids, right? So, we already have 'A' and 'E', so now all we need is 'I', 'O', and 'U' and if we accidentally have a fourth we have the sometimes 'Y' as a backup plan," Embry said with total seriousness.

There was a short incredulous pause before Claire and I burst out in a fit of giggles. "I am _not_ naming my kid Udell or Ursula!" Ariel shrieked. Claire and I laughed harder.

Embry went over and patted her head. "Honey, were on 'I', not 'U' this time."

Ariel smacked his hand away, "Your choice of 'I' names is not much better. Ignatius or Ima? Do you understand just how much a girl would get teased with a name like Ima? Ima Call? Think of junior high, how long would it take before they start calling her Ima Call girl? Better yet, why don't you just have her middle name be Gonna and finish the poor kid off before we even get started!" The monitor that Ariel was attached to started beeping faster and faster as she got more and more worked up.

"Quil, I didn't get any lunch, would you go take Embry and get me something to eat?" Claire suggested, trying to help Ariel calm down I am sure.

"Sounds good to me. Come on Embry, let's go get some food." I turned to ask Claire what she would like and saw her animatedly whispering to Ariel. "Claire, would you like anything in particular?"

Claire kept her head close to Ariel as she nodded and smiled at her. "Just a little something like a granola bar or trail mix would be great." She was smiling her little crafty smile, and it made me wonder what she was planning. I didn't have to wait long to know. "Oh, Embry, I have a good idea," Claire began. "How about if you get your vowel naming pattern, then Ariel gets to pick out whatever name she wants that starts with that letter?"

Embry seemed a bit surprised by this but just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I just like the all vowel thing, I don't really care about what name it is as long as it starts with the letter 'I'."

Ariel practically squealed, and I could hear her whisper to Claire, "You're a genius!"

Embry and I checked in with the nurse, and she let us know that we would have a good couple of hours before anything else really changed much, so we went off to find something to eat. We made it over to the Spoons Café in the hospital and sat down for some lunch. Embry was a little anxious about leaving Ariel for as long as it would take us to get some lunch, but I reminded him that she didn't need a grumpy husband on her hands with everything she already had going on. I also reminded him that we needed to give them enough time to pick out baby names and discuss them for potential ridicule.

"What do you mean by checking a name for ridicule?" Embry asked me between shoveling bites off food down his throat.

"Every kid gets teased, but the parents don't have to make it easier. Like if your last name is Balls, you never name your kid Harry," I explained.

Embry burst out laughing at that one. "Oh, that is sweet! What would work like that for Call?"

"Remember what Ariel just said…Ima Call girl?" I reminded him.

"Oh, I didn't get that at first," he chuckled at the name.

"Embry, you're the dad. You are supposed to protect the kid from torture, not cause it!"

Embry laughed and offhandedly said, "My dad was never around, I don't know how this stuff works." Although he had said it almost like a joke, I could tell he was worried about it. I let him think it over for a bit as I ate my lunch. About three more minutes of just eating and he asked, "Quil, do you think I'll be ok as a dad?"

"Are you going to stick around?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to love your wife?"

"Totally!"

"Are you going to love your kid?"

"Yeah."

"Then Embry, you'll do great. You seem to forget that I know what goes on in your head. You over think everything all the time, but when it comes to doing something, you always do what is good and right. Besides, you have an entire pack behind you for support. You'll do great," I finished.

"With speeches like that, you're going to make a great dad too," Embry said. "So how soon do you see that happening?" he teased.

"Not for a very long time!" I insisted. "Come on, let's get back before you get any more ideas in that head of yours."

We got back to the room just as Ariel was having a contraction. "Took you long enough," Ariel said through gritted teeth.

Embry realized what was going on and started looking like a humming bird on Ritalin. "Oh, Honey, are you ok? Do you need to me to do something? What can I do? I think you're supposed to breathe. Well, of course you are supposed to breathe, but I think you need to do that special breathing."

Ariel interrupted him by glaring at me and saying, "Fix him."

I couldn't help it, I just had to tease her about it. "So, what, like take him to the vet and make it permanent?"

"Huh?" was all Embry could get out.

Ariel's contraction ended, and she relaxed a bit. "Tempting as that sounds right now," she paused to rub her belly, "I think I just need you to help him not freak out."

"Remember the plan, Embry? I am Ariel's coach, and your hand is the indestructible one that she gets to squeeze as hard as she wants to," Claire reminded him.

Embry finally came to his senses and sat next to Ariel talking to her quietly. Claire came over to me, and I handed her the food we had gotten from the café. "So, did you and Ariel have enough time to figure out names?" I asked.

"Yup," was all she said to me as she took a bite.

"Well, what did she decide?" I probed.

"Nope," she said smugly as she took another bite.

"What do you mean 'nope'? Aren't you going to tell me what the names are?" I asked.

Claire shook her head and explained, "Ariel decided on the names she wants, and had the nurse write the names down in the paperwork. That way even if she's out of it with medication later, they are already written down. She thinks that if Embry finds out now and doesn't like them, he will try to badger her into changing them. Ariel said this is the only way that she can be sure that she is choosing the names like they agreed to do."

Just then we heard Embry, "What do you mean you won't tell me? When do I get to know what our kid is named then?"

The next two hours were spent vacillating between Embry trying to get Ariel to tell him the names she had chosen, and her squeezing his hand during a contraction. There was one particularly annoying bout in between contractions, which included Embry singing "I'm Henry the Eighth I Am" and "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt." In the contraction after that, Ariel actually bit Embry's hand hard enough until she broke the skin, and he started to bleed. Fortunately the nurses weren't in the room, so he didn't have to pretend to be hurt past the point of when his hand healed.

When it was time for the actual delivery, I went to the head of the bed behind Embry, so I could move him quickly if he started freaking out, and so that I wouldn't see anything that I didn't want to see. The delivery progressed normally, and Claire was a huge help to Ariel. She was way better under pressure than Embry was. Claire even went over to see the baby's head coming out. I wasn't too surprised by her comment of, "I am never having sex," she paused and looked directly at me, "ever!"

"Yup, best birth control in the world! Every teenager should watch this," one of the nurses added

I laughed and hoped that Claire was just exaggerating or being dramatic.

A few more pushes and their baby was born. "You have a girl!" the doctor announced, and we congratulated around as they checked and cleaned her.

"So _now_ do I get to know what our child's name is?" Embry pleaded with Ariel as they handed her the baby.

"Is the form for the birth certificate all filled out?" Ariel asked the nurse.

"Yes, I filled it out," the nurse confirmed.

"Ok, her name is Irene Abigail Call," Ariel told us.

"Irene?" Embry asked in a whisper as he looked at his daughter with as much love as he had for his wife.

"Yeah, after my grandmother on my mom's side," Ariel whispered, "and Abigail after my mom."

"See, we could still do my vowel naming thing and have it be beautiful. So can I help next time?" Embry asked.

Ariel glared at him with the nastiest look I have ever seen. "What on earth makes you think I want to talk about doing this again?"

"And that is our cue to leave," I said as I began walking to the door. "Congratulations, to both of you, really. Claire, are you coming?"

Claire leaned over and gave Ariel a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so happy for you! Get some rest, and call me any time you need a babysitter." I grabbed Claire's hand and waved to Embry and Ariel as we left.

Claire was pretty quiet until we got into the truck to drive home. "That was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my life. If that is what is going to happen, I am seriously never going to have sex, ever!"

I tried to change the subject a little by asking, "What would the name have been if they had a boy?"

"Ivan Peter, although I told her that it sounded like a name for a Russian with blond hair to me. Irene has a lot of hair, and it was so gross and all covered in slime when it came out, and the head was like this big!" She held up her hands to make a circle. "I can't even imagine doing that! I am seriously never having sex!"

The conversation continued like this all the way to Claire's house, with me saying very little. We walked through the door and Sarah and Daniel came in from the kitchen.

"So how did it go?" Sarah asked.

"I am never having sex, ever!" Claire announced before tromping off to her room.

"See, I told you it would be fine," Sarah smiled smugly at Daniel.

"Fine, how is that fine? She's said that like a dozen times since the baby was born," I said in exasperation.

"It's fine with me," Daniel challenged.

"Don't you ever want grandchildren?" I countered.

"Oh, you two, the trauma goes away. She'll forget; if women didn't forget, the entire world would be made up of single child families. But she will remember it long enough to keep her hands to herself for a while," Sarah said with a knowing smile at both Daniel and me. "Come into the kitchen and tell me all about your day. I'm just finishing up with dinner. So did Ariel have a boy or a girl?"

I went into the kitchen and told Claire's parents all about the day. In retelling it to them, I realized just how cool Claire was under the stress of the situation. Sarah assured me that Claire's reaction was totally normal for a fifteen year old, and she said hormones always win out over other people's traumas in the end. While this gave me some hope for the future, I did notice a little bit of a pout from Daniel.


	24. Chapter 24 Driving Lessons

Chapter 24 Driving Lessons

**Thanks to Birdee18 & Imma Vampire for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 15 on the 5****th**** Aug 2018, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 29 on 2 Feb 2019.**

Chapter 24 Driving Lessons

"Jacob, I need you to go with me to the car dealer Friday, are you available?" I asked him.

"What kind of vehicle are you looking for?" he asked without really looking up from what he was doing.

"I'm in the market for a three-to-five-year-old car that I can fit in and that you won't gripe about fixing," I said. "I figure if you help me pick it out, then you can't complain when it's time to work on it."

"Fair enough, are you trading in your truck?" he asked a little too casually.

_Here it comes_, I thought to myself. "Um, nah, I figured I'd just get a second car…to uh…use less gas…on trips…and stuff." My excuses were weak if not non existent.

Jake's full attention was on me now. "So does this have anything to do with a certain werewolf's imprint turning fifteen and a half and getting her learner's permit?"

"Well, um the truck is big and is difficult to see, with her being so short, and the truck is really old…" I mumbled through my excuses.

"So you want to buy Claire a car then, huh?" Jacob asked, cutting through the hesitation and pretenses.

"I'm not giving her a car. I'm paying for it, and it will be in my name," I rebutted.

"But, just so I know what type of car to look for, this is the car that she will be learning to drive in, right?" Jacob asked with a smirk.

"I guess most of the time that she is practicing her driving it will be in this car," I said weakly.

"Quil, what's up? This is me, cut the crap. You can save the politically correct answers for her family. If I am taking time to help you find a car, I need to know how the car is going to be driven, and who is going to drive it," Jacob cut through to the core of things.

"Sorry, Claire's dad gets sensitive about me spending money on her. I need a car that really works for her, one that she will be very comfortable learning to drive. But the car can't be purple or some girly color like that. I need to be able to fit in it and drive it so that it looks like my car. If we can get a car that will last for more than three or four years, then it will be her car eventually. I'm thinking a four door, automatic. Usually the Asian imports have more head room than the American made cars, so I was thinking of one of those."

"Ok, that gives us a place to start. I'll check around with a few people in the area and see if anyone has anything. Then we can go out on Friday and get what you need," Jacob answered.

"Thanks, Jacob."

We found the perfect car for Claire to use to learn to drive. It was a four-year-old compact sedan with an automatic transmission, and it looked masculine enough not to arouse suspicion. The best part for Claire…it was red and had sporty lines.

I tried my best to keep it at the Cullen's garage or Jacob's house until after my birthday, but he said it was my birthday present to myself, and I should put a bow on it and show it off. I then tried to encourage Claire to avoid my mom's house by telling her I would meet her at her place at seven in the morning for breakfast. Imagine my surprise when my mom opened my bedroom door at six in the morning to reveal Claire with a tray full of food.

"Claire, what are you doing here? I was going to meet you in an hour at your house for breakfast," I said in surprise and slight frustration at Claire seeing my new car out front.

"Every year since I made you breakfast when I was little, I have been trying to actually make you breakfast in bed. Every year, just about the time I am about to leave my house, you show up. So I had my mom invite you over this year early enough so that you wouldn't show up early. Then I came over here when I knew you would still be sleeping," she said with utter satisfaction.

"You are very pleased with yourself aren't you?" I asked. "So, did you make anything good?" I teased her with a huge smile on my face.

"Well, I made biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, and orange juice," she paused. She set the tray down, and there were platters of food piled high, and a basket covered in a towel. She slowly lifted the towel as she said, "And the true birthday gift, Aunt Emily taught me how to make her blueberry muffins." The towel was now completely gone, revealing a dozen incredible-smelling golden brown muffins.

"Wow, Claire, I can't believe you did all this just for me!" I exclaimed in shock and admiration.

"Who said I did it all for you? Boys, come on in, time to eat!" Claire called into the hallway.

I cringed and huddled over the tray waiting for the attack on my food. After a few seconds Claire's laughter brought me out of protection-of-food mode. "What?" I asked her, confused at her laughter.

"You are so easy to tease when it comes to food! The only person you have to share it with is me. I even fixed your mom a plate, and she is eating downstairs." Claire laughed and reached in my drawer to pull out a T-shirt for me. She handed me the shirt, and I put it on as sat down on top of the covers and grabbed a fork.

I began eating, and it was incredible! "Oh my goodness, Claire, this is fantastic! This is better than Emily's food! I totally scored when it came to imprinting!"

Claire laughed, "I didn't come this way. It's only because I had the two best cooks as teachers, plus I get to grow up with the Food Network, and they didn't."

"Well, I don't care how it happened," I said with my mouth completely full, "I'm just glad it did!"

We ate together, with Claire slowly picking at the edges of the meal, and me inhaling the food. When we were done eating Claire asked, "Would you be willing to come help me wash the dishes?"

"How could I say no to such a wonderful chef?" I handed Claire the tray, and let her walk towards the kitchen before getting out of bed and putting on a pair of knee length shorts that Claire had made me out of a pair of sweats. I thought about how Claire had handed me a shirt, sewn my shorts, and made my breakfast.

I laughed in amazed admiration as I made my way into the kitchen and grabbed her up in a silly bear hug from the back and swung her around. I set her down and went to kiss her cheek, but missed and ended up kissing her just below her ear on the sensitive part of her neck. I felt her shiver and heard her heart immediately begin to race. Feeling her reaction, my body responded. My breath caught, and my heart began to race. Instinctively I leaned in towards her neck again and felt her shoulders more firmly against my abdomen as she leaned back into me, her breath quick and shallow. Her smell was an incredible mix of breakfast and her. I took a deep breath, savoring the sweet and homey smell of my Claire.

"A-hem." My mom clearing her throat behind us broke the spell, and we instantly broke apart. I stood up and rolled my shoulders, and Claire nervously fixed her hair. "Sorry to interrupt," my mom said with a very amused voice, "but there is something outside I think you should see."

I looked out the window to see that _someone_ (Jacob) had moved my new car from the hidden spot on the other side of the garage to the middle of the driveway where my truck had been. I groaned in anticipation of the explanations ahead of me.

My mom led the way to the door and grabbed her jacket. Claire followed, and I trudged behind. I was almost to the door when Claire gasped, "Jacob bought you a car for your birthday?"

I couldn't help it, confusion overtook me, "What the…." I stepped outside and saw the shiny red import with a huge bow on the top and poster-sized tag that read, "Happy Birthday Quil! It's about time! Jacob (your brother from another mother)."

"I guess he's tired of working on that ancient truck of yours," my mom said with a slight laugh, "But I still can't believe he bought you a car."

"Yeah, that's pretty unbelievable," I said almost sarcastically as I played along.

"You are going to need to get him something _really_ nice for his birthday," my mom said enthusiastically.

Claire was just watching with open mouthed shock. She knew Jacob well enough to know he wouldn't give me a car for my birthday, when he had never spent more than twenty dollars on a birthday gift for anyone as long as Claire had known him. So she was studying me and my reactions as I muttered, "Evil genius."

Claire snickered and headed back into the house to finish up the dishes. "Come on Quil, we have to finish the dishes so we won't be late to breakfast at my house."

"Ok," I said following her inside, still a little stunned that Jacob would try to pass off the car I bought as his gift to me. I was thinking about who knew this had happened. I had used my debit card, so all total there was Jacob, the salesman, and me who knew the truth. "Evil genius," I muttered under my breath again.

My mom headed upstairs to get dressed for the day, and Claire turned to me and said, "Jacob didn't buy you that car, did he?"

"What?" I asked, not fully sure if I should play it off like he had or not.

Claire stopped what she was doing and turned to face me completely. She put her hand on her hip and waved a dishtowel in my direction as she explained, "Like I could believe that Jacob would go from being the cheapest member of the pack to giving you a car overnight. I just haven't figured out why the tag says, 'It's about time'. Jacob loves your truck, and his car is even older than your truck." She paused for a moment and then turned to look out the window at the car.

All of the sudden I heard a slight intake of breath. "It's for me," she whispered. She turned and faced me. She looked directly into my eyes and reviewed the logic behind her conclusion. "I can get my learner's permit in three days. That car is a lot smaller, so it probably is a lot easier to learn to drive. It's red, and we have had several discussions about how any car worth owning should be red."

I couldn't help it, I had to laugh. With every reason my smile had gotten bigger. "It's also an automatic, so you don't have to learn with a clutch," I explained further.

"So if you got it for me, why did Jacob claim it as his birthday gift to you? That's the only part I can't figure out," she said as she scrunched her mouth up, showing off her adorable dimples.

"Well, you know how your dad gets about me spending money on you." Claire rolled her eyes. "Technically, this is my car, in my name, and for me. But, since I now have two vehicles, one will always be available for you to use, since even a werewolf can't drive two at one time."

Claire gave me a huge hug. "It's perfect!" she said into my chest. "You know exactly what I like! Can you even fit in it?" she asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah, that was part of the requirements of buying the car. It would be impossible for me to pretend the car was intended for me if I couldn't even get in and drive it," I said still holding her, and talking with my lips in her hair. I gave a huge sigh of contentment, and Claire shivered against me.

"Ear thing," Claire barely squeaked out. I released her, still slightly dazed from the morning's events. "So, uh…we should go to my house," Claire struggled to get the words out.

"Your house?" I asked in a foggy confusion of Claire.

"For breakfast…" Claire told me like I should know it already.

"But you just made me an incredible breakfast," I rebutted in confusion.

"Like you couldn't eat more," Claire scoffed. "Come on, let's go show off your new birthday gift from Jacob!"

"You are actually going to let him take credit for that?" I asked as the shock of it stopped me dead in my tracks.

She turned around and ran her finger down my chest and seductively asked, "Do you have a better explanation for my dad and uncle?"

Stunned into ignorance, I made great efforts to calm myself and shake my head. "Uh…no," I managed to get out. Claire giggled and spun around to grab her coat so we could leave. She was almost to the door when I recovered my senses enough to speak, sort of. "C-Claire? The chest…voice…Uh…ear thing," was all I managed to get out.

Everyone else seemed to accept that the car was from Jacob and agreed that I owed him big time. I begrudgingly allowed the façade to continue though the torment; however, that wasn't the only torment of the day. Claire was so excited and grateful for the car that she ended up torturing me all day long! The worst part was half of the time she didn't even know she was doing it; it was merely instinctive. It was probably the first day in the years since I had imprinted on her that I longed for her to be older than she was!

Claire almost subconsciously reacted the same way to me for the next several days. _If this is her reaction to a car, we will definitely have to be married before I get her a house!_ I thought.

The Tuesday after my birthday, Claire turned fifteen and a half, and her dad took her to get her learner's permit. Sarah invited me over for dinner that night, so I was there when Daniel and Claire arrived home. Claire looked excited and a little repentant. Daniel looked scared for his life.

"So how did things go?" Sarah asked, as they walked into the kitchen.

"I got my permit and Dad let me practice in an empty parking lot! I'm going to go put my stuff in my room and change before dinner," Claire announced. I gave her a smile and watched her almost skip out of the room.

Daniel had headed straight for the kitchen sink and proceeded to splash cold water on his face. "I thought I could do it, I did it with Skye. I've never been so frightened in my entire life!" Daniel shook his head. "I just don't understand how she can be so much worse than Skye…"

I decided to let him in on a little secret Skye had been keeping for more than three years. "Uh, Skye learned to drive from Jacob about six months before she got her permit," I explained to them.

I was worried about Daniel's reaction, but it was pretty much the opposite of what I had expected. I assumed he would be hurt or jealous for Jacob usurping his fatherly rights. Instead, Daniel seemed oddly relieved. He had a bit of a wild look in his eye as he rambled, "Quil! You can teach her, I mean you are pretty much indestructible. You can do all that stuff, plus Jacob just got you that new car, so even if she rolls the car and totals it, you have another one!"

"Dan, she can't be_ that_ bad of a driver," Sarah scolded her husband.

"Oh, yes she can," he leaned over close to her so she could see the top of his head, "See, gray. I know there are more gray hairs than I had this morning! That is, if it's even all still there."

Sarah and I laughed at his total freak out. "Daniel, don't worry about it. I'd be happy to teach her to drive," I said. I was rather pleased it had worked out as well as it had.

Claire walked up then and said, "Quil gets to teach me to drive?"

"If that's ok with you," I said. I was facing Claire with my back turned to her parents and gave her a big wink.

She struggled not to smile as she said, "Yeah, I think it would be nicer than with Dad and all the screaming and grabbing onto the car like he's gonna die or something. Could we go practice a bit after dinner?"

"In the dark?" Daniel asked nervously. "I'm not sure if that is a good idea," he hesitated.

"I can drive her over to an empty parking lot and let her practice there, and then drive her back. The lights will be on, and it's not raining tonight, so it would be good for her to get in some safe night driving practice," I tried to persuade him.

"Better you than me," he mumbled at a volume only I could hear. "I guess that will be alright, if you're up for it, Quil," he said aloud.

We finished a really nice dinner and had root beer floats for dessert. Sarah instructed Claire to go change from her slippers into tennis shoes, and once she did, she grabbed her coat and we were off. I had driven the red car there with the hopes that she had gotten her permit and we could drive. The closer we got to the empty parking lot, the more apprehensive I became about Claire's apparent lack of driving skill.

"So Claire, I guess your dad was a little uncomfortable with your driving earlier?" I asked, hoping she would be able to know what the problem was so that we could work on it before killing the new red car.

Claire burst out laughing. "Yeah, that was SO MUCH FUN!"

"Fun, what do you mean by fun?" I was confused.

"I want you to teach me to drive. I want to be able to drive my new red car," she stroked the dash lovingly. "When I was three, I wanted you there all the time, and I figured out that if I threw a big enough fit, my parents would call you. Every time I freak them out, they call you. Since I didn't want to hurt my dad's feelings by telling him I wanted you to teach me, I just drove really horribly. I freaked him out to the point where I knew he would ask you to teach me. He did ask you to teach me, right? It wasn't you that asked him?" she confirmed.

I shook my head in disbelief and just chuckled. "He didn't ask me as much so much as he told me to teach you, or maybe begged is a better word."

Claire laughed even more. "Maybe I overdid it just a bit."

"What exactly did you do?" I asked, wondering how bad it was.

"Well, when I watch you drive straight, the steering wheel moves less than an inch in either direction. I moved it about four or five inches in either direction, so we were swerving all over the place," she admitted slyly. "Then I acted like the gas and brake pedals were really tough to use, and I pushed them really hard so that when I slammed on the gas, his head would hit the headrest, and I would brake, and his seat belt would catch every time." Claire laughed, remembering something she had done and added, "Oh, and just for kicks I screamed, 'Where's the brake?' when I was slamming on the gas pedal a couple of times."

We couldn't help it, we were both uncontrollably laughing by the time we reached the empty parking lot. "Ok, my little wolf girl," she stuck her tongue out at me, "I know your secrets now, so don't try pulling any of them on me. And remember, this is the only other car I am buying in the next five years, so if you want to have a car after we are married then you are going to have to treat this one nicely. You kill it, you don't have a car," I threatened with a smile.

"I got it, treat it like it's my car, not my dad's." She patted the dashboard gently. She turned to me and asked, "Is it time for me to drive yet?"

"Sure thing, Claire," I told her, and we got out of the car to switch seats. I handed her the keys after she had sat in the driver's seat and instructed her in all the controls of this car. We went over safety, and I warned her again how pulling her purposeful bad driving techniques on me would really only be hurting her future car. "So, if you're all set to drive now, press the button on the gear shift, and move it to the 'D' for drive. Then press gently on the gas pedal just until the car starts to move and drive to the end of this row. Then you can make a wide left turn around the planter with the light," I instructed.

Claire had calmed down, and her heart was beating at a normal pace. I could hear her heart rate pick up just a little as she shifted the car from park in to drive, but she did as I had instructed her, and made a nice oval around the parking lot. I had her drive the same loop in the other direction, turns, backing up, practice parking, and even figure eights. I had her stop the car so we could switch back and I could drive home. "See, I can do a good job driving when I want to," Claire said with confidence.

"You're right, this probably means we have to have you practice a whole lot before your dad sees you drive again, or he'll know you were horrible on purpose with him," I advised.

"Hmm, it's almost like I planned it that way," Claire said slyly before beginning to giggle.

I made sure the car was in park and removed the keys before leaning over and tickling her. "You sneaky little woman! You and your womanly ways are going to get you in trouble."

She made a great effort to ignore my tickling and leaned forward towards me in the car. The atmosphere completely changed from playful to serious in a moment. "So my driving skills have graduated me from little girl to woman have they?" she asked in a sultry voice, looking up at me through her lashes.

I was stunned and stumbled over my brain to get out, "You, uh, did…good."

Claire leaned in towards me further so that her lips were about six inches in front of my own. She was licking her lips, and her tongue moving slowly and gently across her lips had me completely hypnotized. "Thank you for the car, Quil, I really appreciate it," her lips spoke in a sexy whisper. They moved closer to me, and my hands gripped into fists.

Beep…beep…beep…beep

The blaring of a car's alarm broke us out of our daze. It took me another second to realize that the keys were in my hands, and I had accidentally set off the car alarm to our car. _Wait, my car, well, my car that Claire will use that's really…oh forget it. Who am I kidding? I bought the car for Claire. I might as well call it our car._ I pushed the button and turned off the alarm.

As I turned off the alarm, I heard Claire mutter, "So close."

I sighed and rested my head against the headrest. With my eyes closed I said, "Six months Claire, _we agreed_ to wait six months, remember?"

"Can't we agree that I should try to change your mind?" she muttered almost silently.

"Werewolf hearing, Claire," I reminded her. I got out of the car and went over to the driver's side and opened the door for her. She unbuckled her seatbelt and held out her hand for me to take it and help her out. Instead of taking it I just backed up out of the way further.

"Humpf," Claire huffed as she got out of the car and stomped over to the passenger's side. I got into the car, and we both buckled. I put the keys in the ignition, but instead of starting the car, I put my hands on the top of the steering wheel and leaned my forehead against them. After a couple of minutes I could hear Claire sniffling. "Sorry," she squeaked out between quiet sobs.

I sighed deeply and kept my head resting on my hands but rolled it so I could see Claire. "Claire, I love you. I don't want you to feel hurt or rejected. But I have been working to build your dad's trust in me since you were two. Do you know that if he had followed us over here and seen all of what happened here tonight, he probably would have thought I was deceiving him? Not just you, Claire, me too. We are so close. Just six months away. I know it feels like you will never be sixteen, but you will. What if one kiss got you grounded and we couldn't see each other?" I paused and took another deep breath. "Claire, if someone were to see us kissing the way you were trying to get me to kiss you right now…gah! We are alone in a car; it is very easy for someone to think we had…"

Claire paused and looked at me confused. "Are you talking about sex?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, Claire, that's what I'm talking about." I turned my head so I was no longer facing her. "Someone might think that we had sex, and I would be at risk for going to jail. You are only fifteen. My business is based on reputation and referrals. These are all internet users. Can you imagine what would happen if the local paper did a story about us? It wouldn't read 'Perpetual sixteen-year-old caught in compromising position with his fifteen-year-old girlfriend.' It would more likely read 'Twenty-nine-year-old man seduces local teen.' And even if we know the truth, it wouldn't matter, my business would be destroyed anyway because no one wants to work with someone who abuses children."

"I'm not a child," Claire whispered through gritted teeth.

"Don't you think I know that?" I sat up and looked at Claire; she looked defensive and furious. I spoke kindly to ease her mood. "I know, Claire, believe me I know. I was never once tempted to kiss you in a romantic way when you were a child."

Claire's face softened, and she leaned into me a bit. "Are you tempted now?"

"Aahhh," I growled and leaned my head against the headrest closing my eyes. "Yes, Claire, I feel like kissing you. Ok? Is that what you want to hear? That you are driving me crazy, that I want to hold you and kiss you? Is that what you want to hear from me, is it?"

"Thank you," Claire said in a whisper as she started to quietly sob again.

_Wait, a thank you AND crying? Good grief, she really is a woman not a child!_ I was beyond confused. "Claire, what is going on? Why did you just say thank you and start crying?"

"I…I just felt like it was just me," she said with a shrug of one shoulder.

I looked at her is total disbelief, "What?" was all I could get out of my mouth.

"Every time you touch me, you treat me like a child, or a friend. You have never tried to kiss me. I just…well…my birthday is six months away, and every day I feel like kissing you." I felt my heart begin to pound at this revelation. She continued, "It's just that sometimes I worry that you never think of me in that way. That I would get to my birthday, and you would still think of me as a child, a friend. I was trying to do things to get you to see me as a woman not a child. I guess…I just wanted to…I was hoping that I could get you to see me as a woman, so that you would be ready to kiss me when I am sixteen. So I guess I am saying thank you for letting me know that you are ready to kiss me when I am sixteen. You are ready for that, right?" Claire asked meekly.

"More than you know, Claire, more than you know," I answered with a sigh.

"Good," she responded, and sat looking out the window with a smile that showed her adorable dimples.

I shook my head and took a deep breath, "Let's get you home," I said and thought to myself that the next six months could very possibly be the longest six months of my life so far.


	25. Chapter 25 Oh So Sweet Sixteen

Chapter 25 Oh So Sweet Sixteen

**Thanks to Imma Vampire, Birdee18, OurSong & ****Onyx Eyed**** for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 16 on the 5****th**** Aug 2019, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 29 on 2 Feb 2019.**

Chapter 25 Oh So Sweet Sixteen

There was a part of me that knew I was being ridiculous, yet there was another part of me that knew I had been waiting more than thirteen years for this day and didn't care! I checked the time on my mobile phone…one minute past midnight; it was Claire's birthday. I had been pacing in the dark of Claire's backyard for more than twenty minutes. I didn't know if she would be asleep right now or not, but I knew when she was excited about something, she would have a difficult time sleeping.

I tried to be rational; I tried to wait until four thirty in the morning for Claire's annual birthday run with me as a wolf, but I couldn't sleep either. The last six months had been very drawn out and difficult, but we had made it. Other than that one time where Claire had kissed me on the ladder to the Dollhouse, we had not kissed as a boyfriend or girlfriend would. A kiss on the hair, a quick hug, we had tried very much to keep our relationship platonic.

I was leaning up against a tree on the edge of Claire's backyard. I looked at my mobile phone again and saw it was five minutes past midnight. This torture was going to last an eternity! I thought of sending a text message to Claire and opened my phone to start the text. It occurred to me that she might be sleeping, and I didn't want potentially interrupt the few hours of precious sleep she might be getting. I closed the phone and tapped it against my lower lip. It was at that point when the clear blue beam of a flashlight pierced through the darkness and struck my shirt. I instantly raised my eyes to see the light was originating from Claire's bedroom window. My heart began pounding in anticipation, and, with a huge smile on my face, I moved towards the house.

Thoughts raced through my mind at what might happen. All I knew was our time was up. Claire was sixteen, and she could be my girlfriend. I could kiss her as my girlfriend! The light moved as I moved and soon blinded me as Claire shone the light in my face. I heard a soft gasp and then a few moments later the back door opened. I moved swiftly towards the back door then suddenly halted when I heard a voice.

"You might as well come in, Quil. Claire isn't going to get any sleep until she sees you apparently," Sarah's soft voice was resigned.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I just…" I really didn't have a good excuse to give Claire's mom as to why I was pacing in their backyard after midnight.

Sarah ushered me into the kitchen, and turned on the range hood light just as Claire stepped into the kitchen. Claire skidded to a stop and looked just as shocked as I felt by being caught by Sarah. Sarah motioned for Claire and me to sit at the kitchen table. She walked back and forth a few times, most likely deciding what she was going to say. Claire and I sat there stealing glances at each other between guiltily watching Sarah's pacing.

Finally Sarah spoke. "I take it that since both of you are awake and looking for each other just after midnight on Claire's birthday, that you have kept our family's rule about no dating and no boyfriend /girlfriend relationships before sixteen. Is that correct?" she waited for an answer.

"That's right," I reassured her.

"Yes," Claire answered as well.

"Good, I have seen others with the imprint relationship and understand how that had to have been especially difficult for the two of you." We both nodded and looked at each other and gave a quick smile before looking back at Sarah. "Well, it seems that you two probably have a little bit of business to discuss, that can probably be completed in five minutes, in this room that has no doors, that anyone could walk into at any moment, am I correct?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, almost challenging one of us to question her.

I looked to Claire and shrugged my shoulders and raised my eyebrows asking for her agreement. She nodded back at me quickly, probably understanding that this was the best offer we would receive at this time of night. "That should be fine, thanks," I answered Sarah.

She nodded and looked pointedly at both of us before looking directly at Claire again and reiterating firmly, "Five minutes. Then you go back to sleep until four thirty." She looked over at me and repeated, "Four thirty, understand?"

I nodded, "Got it."

She stood there looking at us a few moments more before saying, "Five minutes." She started to walk out of the kitchen and paused at the doorway saying, "Oh, and happy birthday, Claire." She gave a quick smile and walked into the living room. I heard her sit on the couch and knew that she would be able to hear everything we said above the quietest whisper.

I motioned and mouthed to Claire that her mom was in the next room and could hear us.

Claire nodded with a wry smile and then shrugged as if to ask what other choice we had.

I pulled out my mobile phone and winked at Claire. I began typing, and she looked over my shoulder. To make it easier for her to see what I was typing, she got up from her chair and stood behind me. She rested her arms on my shoulder blades and her chin on my left shoulder. Her mouth was so close to me that I could feel each breath blowing gently on my ear and neck. I typed "Will U B my girlfriend?" and could instantly feel her chin moving on my shoulder as she nodded her answer.

"Yes," she merely breathed into my left ear.

I turned towards her and before I was even a fraction of the way turned, her lips were caressing my cheek. She continued to kiss me as I turned towards her, and she moved her arms from my back to wrap around my neck. I placed my phone on the table and moved my arms around her waist. As she stood next to me, her head was just above mine, and my eyes were just below her chin. I moved one hand from her waist to the back of her neck. My eyes moved from her deep chocolate-brown eyes that exactly matched my own, to her full lips of which I knew every curve, I knew every movement they made. The anticipation of the taste of her lips instinctively made me lick my lips, and Claire mirrored my action. As she licked her lips, my breathing became unsteady, and my heart began to race. "Claire, I love you," I whispered as I drew her closer to me and softly searched her lips with my own. Claire's heart began to pound in such a frenzy that I was almost sure her mother could hear it in the next room. I deepened the kiss just slightly before moving her so that her cheek rested against mine.

"I love you, Quil, I always have," Claire whispered in my ear.

"I will love you forever. Happy birthday, Claire, I'll see you in four and a half hours, ok?" I asked.

She simply nodded, and I stood up holding her hand. "I'll be waiting for you," she promised.

"Claire, get some sleep, I don't want to worry about you falling off because you are too tired," I joked.

We said our quick good byes, and with a single kiss to her hand I let it go, and left to go get some rest.

With the long wait until I could really kiss Claire finally over, I now felt relaxed enough to sleep but still felt anxious to be near Claire, so I went to the Dollhouse to sleep. I set the alarm, laid down my head, and the second my head hit the pillow, the alarm sounded. I sat up, frustrated, and went to fix the alarm when I glanced at the time and realized that I had slept for more than four hours even though it felt like less than a second. _If only all time without Claire could fly by that fast,_ I mused.

I quickly changed into my wolf form and ran to go get Claire. I changed back and pulled on a pair of shorts. I had been rather careful over the last year to wear a shirt around Claire as much as possible, but I was too excited this morning and had forgotten it at the Dollhouse. I went to the back door and was met by Claire and Sarah.

"So where are you two going to be this morning?" Sarah asked. She looked a little cautious around me for the first time in years. I was hoping this wasn't due to our behavior last night.

"Oh, just through the forest and maybe down to the beach and back," I answered.

"Ok, we'll have breakfast ready just after sunrise," she informed us and helped Claire grab a sweatshirt for the ride.

"Bye, Mom!" Claire called as we headed towards the woods. We walked into the woods enough to where we couldn't see the house. Claire was quiet and seemed a little shy. "Were you able to sleep at all last night?" she asked me.

I looked at her and gently moved her hair behind her ears. "I slept very well, actually. Thank you for asking," I spoke softly looking in her eyes. I could hear her heart begin to pick up speed, and her breathing became more quick and shallow. "Would you like a ride to the beach?" I asked quietly.

"Uh, huh," she gasped.

I leaned over, with my gazed locked on her lips. Claire held her breath and began to close her eyes. My breathing became more rapid as well, and when I was within and inch of her mouth, I swiftly moved my mouth to in front of her ear and whispered, "Good, stay here, and I'll be right back." I moved back as swiftly as I could and was ten feet away and phasing before I even hear her take a breath.

"Quil, that is _so_ not fair!" she complained as I got back to where she was.

I coughed a laugh in my wolf form and knelt down so Claire could climb up on my back. She stood there not making a move. The expression on her face told me that she was deciding between teasing me in my wolf form and taking things in another direction. She seemed to relax a little and climbed on my back without a word. When she was settled, I ran in a rather large circle before heading towards the coast. The light of the pre-dawn was just beginning to brighten the eastern sky behind us as we looked out across the ocean. I knelt down for Claire to get down, but she stayed where she was.

"Quil, I want to tell you some things, and I want you to listen. Are you listening?" Claire paused and waited for my response.

I nodded my head to indicate "Yes."

"Well, now that I am the same age as you…" Claire began.

I interrupted her with a coughing laugh. This was a little joke between the two of us that had been going on for years.

"Whatever, now that we are the same age, I feel we should act more like equals. I also think that I am mature enough that if you want or need something from me, you should just ask. What you did to me right before you phased… That is totally some teasing game Skye would play with one of her boyfriends." Claire paused and rested her chin on the back of her left hand which rested the back of my neck and played with the fur behind my right ear absentmindedly with her right hand. "Quil, I've watched Skye with her boyfriends. She is a huge flirt and a tease, and if she isn't a huge tease, then she is totally putting out," Claire finished the sentence with thoughtful disgust and a small shiver ran the length of her body. "I never want to be like that. I also don't want to be the couple that is constantly making out in front of everyone, or the couple that is never around because they are always running off to have sex somewhere. You and I are different. We are more than soul mates, I am your imprint, and I need you to protect me."

_Protect her?_ That immediately got my attention and I lifted up my head and tried to turn to look at her. She was still lying on my back, so I couldn't see her face. _What does she mean protect her? _I was getting antsy wanting to understand, and my muscles started to twitch. I was even tempted for a second to phase back but shoved that thought quickly away.

"Quil, you have promised to love me and keep me safe. I hope you mean keeping my emotions and feelings safe as well. When you tease me like you did earlier, I feel unsteady and off balance, I feel like I don't understand what you want or need from me." She shrugged and then continued by saying, "I don't feel emotionally safe."

I was totally ashamed of myself. Yes, apparently in some ways I was still an idiotic sixteen-year-old. I let out a whimper of an apology. I would also have to apologize to her more after I was in human form again.

"Quil, this is just another one of those 'ear things', and I guess I just thought as of today we would be done with those." We both laughed at the same time. "Yeah, I guess not." She lifted her head from my neck a little and said, "Well, it's getting to be pretty light out, we should probably head back to my house for breakfast."

I nodded my head and stood up to start heading back. I was thinking a great deal about what she had said and was walking at a rather slow pace for the first few minutes.

Claire, still leaning forward, whispered in my ear, "Quil, are we going to get back sometime today? Do you need me to blow in your ear to use your accelerator?"

What was this girl up to? Maybe the teasing was alright with her as long as we agreed to it ahead of time? Wait, that wouldn't be teasing, that would be...yikes. I shook my head "no" and quickly snapped out of my reverie. I sped up quickly and made it back near her house in record time.

_Hey, Quil, we are all set in Claire's house. Are you going to be back soon?_ I heard Embry's thoughts.

_We are back to the spot for me to change, let everyone know that we will be there in just a couple of minutes,_ I thought back to him. I felt him phase back and decided to give him just a little extra time. I knelt down slowly and let Claire get down from my back. I went behind a large tree, phased back, and got dressed. Now, what to do for a moment's distraction… I went over to Claire held her face in my hands and said, "I'm sorry that I teased you earlier. I should protect all of you, even your heart and your mind. Is this what you were expecting earlier?" I asked, and I leaned in and softly brushed my lips against hers in a very sweet kiss.

Claire looked completely dazed and almost like she might fall over. I could hear her heart pounding so near me, and she was holding her breath. I gave a little bit of a smile in satisfaction and leaned over and whispered, "Breathe Claire, it helps."

She nodded and suddenly sucked in a huge gasping breath. "Breathing, yes…breathing is good," she muttered softly. Then even more softly, so that I almost couldn't hear, she mumbled, "_That_ was good!"

"Come on, let's go inside for your birthday breakfast," I said and took her hand in mine leading her to the back door of her house.

We walked in and, just as Ariel and Embry had promised, every piece of the sweet sixteen birthday decorations that the packs had collected over the past fourteen or so years was there in Claire's house! Pink, glittery, and for once completely appropriate for the occasion, her kitchen and dining area looked wonderful!

Shouts of "Surprise!" and "Happy Birthday, Claire!" greeted us from all sides as we entered her house. It appeared as if everyone from both packs were there. Emily and Sarah must have been cooking for hours. It made me wonder if preparations for this breakfast party were why Sarah was awake at midnight last night.

"Skye!" I heard Claire call out, "I had no idea you were here!" Claire ran to give her sister a hug. Skye had stayed at college to take summer classes. She was hoping to finish her bachelor's degree in less than four years.

"Yeah, I came in late and stayed at Emily's for it to be a surprise. We had to have an early party for you today, I hear you have some big date tonight?" Skye teased Claire.

Claire ducked her head and blushed furiously. Her lips were pursed in the way that showed off her dimples the way I loved the most. I don't think she could have looked more adorable if she tried! Claire then looked slyly up at Skye through her lashes and said, "Well, you know with the family's no dating until sixteen rule, this is my first chance to go on a date…"

Skye coughed in shock, "Oh…yeah…right, sixteen…" Skye had snuck out many times before sixteen but had never gotten caught. But with her bragging, the talk from guys she had dated, not to mention the packs mind meld action, everyone in the room knew what Claire was referring to, and laughter erupted as Claire got Skye back for the teasing.

Sarah laughed and called out, "Well, as long as we are talking about bending the rules, who's up for cake at seven in the morning?"

She was answered by an enthusiastic chorus of agreement, and Seth, Embry, Jared, and Sam moved from in front of the table revealing a huge three tiered cake and four full sheet cakes all covered in white frosting with flowers in Claire's favorite color of pink.

"Holy crap, that's enough cake for like, four-hundred people!" Skye exclaimed.

"Or this crowd," Claire rolled her eyes. "They eat like a pack of wild dogs or something!"

Everyone burst into hearty laughter, Skye and Marc with the absurdity of the comment, everyone else there was either too young to understand, or was in on it.

The candles were lit, and we all sang to Claire. She waited until the song was finished, glanced up at me from under her lashes, and gave me a shy smile with her eyes bright before leaning over and blowing out all of her candles in one breath. As Emily and Sarah moved in to start cutting and serving the cake, I couldn't help but go to Claire. I wrapped my arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "So, what did you wish for?"

She shook her head, and with the cutest sneaky smile teased, "I can't tell you, or it won't come true!" Right then Emily handed Claire a piece of cake. "Wow, lemon cake with raspberry filling, this is my favorite! Thanks!"

"Yes, we have learned a thing or two about you over the last sixteen years," Sarah joked touching her frosting covered finger to Claire's nose.

"Mom," Claire almost whined through her huge smile and made a production of rolling her eyes dramatically for show. It worked, and everyone burst out laughing.

Daniel picked up a napkin and gently wiped off the frosting. "The teenage eye rolling begins. I knew it couldn't stay away forever," he mocked, pouting, which had everyone in stitches again.

The banter and laughter flowed like this for the next hour as the cake, along with a huge buffet of normal breakfast foods, was served. Several times I would just look over at Claire as she laughed and ate with the pack and her family. I was in awe that someone so wonderful had been chosen for me. It was almost difficult to believe that, after more than thirteen years of waiting, she was finally my girlfriend!

I spent most of the rest of the day with Claire and her family at her house before Skye and Ariel shooed me out in order to get Claire ready for our first date. I went home to shower and change as well. I had decided to look extra special for our date tonight and was wearing a pair of khaki-colored Dockers and an olive-green button up shirt. I had decided on doing a very typical date activity for our date so that it would feel different than just hanging out. I figured bowling in Port Angeles would be something that would be a good plan. We could go to Laurel Lanes for bowling, nice and casual, we could talk, and no one could tease us about making out in the dark like they would if we went to the movies. I figured before bowling we could go to dinner in Port Angeles as well. I had heard good things about Gordy's Pizza and pasta, so I decided to try there. I had let Daniel and Sarah in on the plan so they could feel more comfortable about this new stage in our relationship, and so they could help Claire be dressed appropriately, and I could still keep it a surprise from her.

I went to pick up Claire as planned at a little past five. She was dressed in very flattering jeans, and a raspberry-pink top that not only made her skin glow, but also made me realize that she probably didn't look as young as sixteen to most strangers. Skye and Ariel had evidently helped her with her hair and makeup. They brought out her natural beauty without making her look too overdone. Her hair was in a style that was now my new favorite. It had been put in two French braids in the front, and then left long to her waist in the back. It was the combination that accentuated her strong and elegant high cheekbones, and made me want to run my fingers through her hair's gorgeous length in the back. I stood at the door just staring for longer than I realized, only being drawn out of my reverie by the giggles from all the women in the house.

"Well, I guess Quil approves of our handiwork," Ariel said. "I've never known him to be still that long before, I think he's hypnotized!"

"Yeah, and I've never known him to go this long without talking!" Skye added.

"Oh, stop teasing him," Claire said smiling in a way that showed off her deep dimples the best. "Although, I'm wondering if maybe I should drive."

The suggestion of Claire driving on our date snapped me out of my stupor. "No, I can drive," I said a little too loudly. I lowered my volume and whispered in Claire's ear, "You look incredible! I'm so glad I get to kiss you tonight!" I made sure to blow in her ear a little bit when I said it and heard her breathing and heart rate increase in response.

"Who says I'll kiss you on the first date, Mister?" she whispered back, teasing me.

I grinned and leaned a little closer this time letting my tongue slightly graze her ear as I said, "Your racing heart gives you away, my wolf girl." She shuddered in response and dipped her head in embarrassment. Although no one else had heard what we had said, they for the most part knew our history and could definitely read our body language. Daniel's reaction was to stand and come to the door behind the women.

"So Quil, Claire's curfew is ten. Please plan to have her home at least five minutes before then so she can be in her room by that time," Daniel said in a very authoritative voice.

All the women in the room turned and stared at him. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Sarah was the first to speak, "What? Skye's curfew was midnight!"

"That was different," Daniel said defensively.

Sarah just dropped her jaw in shock at Daniel. She took a second, probably to decide how much of a public display she was going to make, before she began to lay into him. "Of course it was different! You want to know how because none of Skye's dates ever respected us or our rules for her. I know for a fact that Quil and Claire did not date or kiss before she was sixteen. Now with the ones we can trust, you want to get all overprotective? Claire, your curfew is midnight when it is not a school night. Seeing that it is summer, and there is no school, go, and have a fun time!" She encouraged us out the door, and we quickly took advantage of the opportunity to leave. Ariel made to leave as well, and Skye made an excuse to follow.

I helped Claire inside the truck, and we started on our way to Port Angeles. We went to the restaurant, they gave us our menus, and we found a place and sat at our table. "What do you think you are going to order?" Claire asked me after looking over the menu a bit.

"I was thinking I'd get the fifteen inch Extravaganza; it says here the ingredients are pepperoni, salami, Canadian-style bacon, fresh mushrooms, onions, black olives, green peppers, pineapple, shrimp, Italian sausage, ground beef, fresh Roma tomatoes and fresh parmesan cheese, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and our own fresh dough crust," I quoted to her from the menu. By the end of the list Claire was giggling wildly.

"Um, yeah, that sounds like it is right up your alley," she managed through her giggles. "I think I'll get a seven inch pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, and sausage."

"Seven inch pizza, aren't you going to share?" I teased her. We both got up and went to the front cash register to order. I told the girl up front what we wanted and she repeated it back to us.

"So we've got a large Extravaganza pizza for the gentleman, and a mini PMS pizza for the lady," she confirmed.

"A PMS pizza?" Claire gasped.

"Yeah, pepperoni, mushroom, and sausage, PMS," the worker replied nonchalantly.

"That will be fine, thanks," I replied. I paid for the food, and we headed back to our table. When we sat down, we both burst out laughing.

"This is going to be one of those things the whole pack is going to know about, and I will never live down, isn't it?" Claire asked, slightly amused, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I could tell you that I will try to keep it from them, but…yeah, they are gonna know, sorry," I told her with a slight shake of my head.

Claire laughed along with me. "I kind of figured our first date would result in some teasing, I just never figured it would be over something I ordered for dinner."

"Claire, I love what a great sport you are," I said looking into her eyes with a goofy grin.

Claire laughed and shook her head slightly. We had easy conversation and light banter throughout the entire dinner. I managed to finish my large pizza before Claire finished with her mini pizza. I asked her about dessert, but even though the massive brownies and rice krispy treats looked amazing, we decided to get something later in the evening.

"So our next destination is about two miles from here. Would you be up to walking? I don't think it's supposed to do more than just sprinkle this evening," I suggested.

Claire lifted her foot to the side of the table and showed me she was wearing her sneakers. "I'm up for it! Ariel was on my side and we out voted Skye, and so I got to wear my comfortable shoes!" Claire stated with satisfaction.

We got up from the table and left the restaurant. For me, this was the most important part of the date. We would be walking just under two miles most of the way on Front Street along the waterfront. I had no concern for our safety, but I wanted to see how people who didn't know us would react to us together in public.

I always emphasized to Claire how I remained a sixteen year old, but I had not been carded for any reason since my growth spurt when I became a werewolf. I knew if I lined up next to a hundred average sixteen year old boys, I would tower over most of them. I was also a lot stronger and had a bigger build then most. I also knew that people also mistook Claire for being older than she was, but I wasn't sure if that was only after speaking with her, or if it was the company she kept. I knew how the pack accepted us because of the imprint. On the reservation in general, feelings were mixed, but people usually kept their opinions to themselves, except the kids in Claire's class at school. I was very interested to see how the public in general would react to us.

Leaving the restaurant, I took Claire by the hand and began to walk at what I felt was a comfortable pace, but I was a little keyed up. It wasn't until we were almost to the first intersection that I realized Claire was breathing heavily. As we proceeded to the next block, I noticed that for every few steps I took with my six feet five inches that Claire had to take a few extra steps with her five foot five inch height. I had walked at a steady pace, but Claire would walk three or four steps and then do a little stutter step run for a few steps to keep up, then walk again. It was adorable but wearing her out. I immediately slowed my pace and apologized. "Claire, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go so fast. Just remind me to slow down when I start doing that, ok?"

Claire nodded, and I realized she was out of breath, so we paused and took a look in a store front window. Claire began to giggle, and I couldn't figure out what she was laughing about. I asked her and she pointed at the window. "Look at our reflection. I only come up as high as your armpit." She laughed some more and continued with, "When I am near you, I just think of you, and I am used to your size. I forget how we must look to other people."

How we must look to other people; she had forgotten all about it to the point that our reflection surprised her and made her laugh, and it had been a preoccupying thought of mine for weeks. I knew I wanted to date her, I was looking forward to it, but I had been far to worried about other people's opinions of us. I decided to let Claire be my guide and just relax a bit.

We walked another six blocks at a much slower pace and were getting closer to where the ferries dropped off and were seeing a bit more crowds. Claire suddenly gripped my hand much tighter and used her other arm to grasp a hold of my forearm; she clung to my arm almost like she was trying to hide in my arm. My protective instincts immediately were alerted. I looked around for a threat, and saw only a small group of tall, athletic, college-aged looking women. We had passed a few of them, and there were more walking towards us. The majority of them had very pleasant expressions on their faces as I looked towards them. Confused, I looked down at Claire to see if I could tell what was bothering her. I was surprised to see that the expression on her face looked irritated and not frightened as I had expected to find it.

"Claire, what's wrong?" I asked her. I leaned over Claire to get a better view of her face. As I looked at Claire, she appeared to be staring down one of the tall women who had to have been six foot three. Then without warning Claire reached up, grabbed my collar, and kissed me fiercely as the last of the apparent women's basketball or volleyball team passed us. I must admit I was a little bit in a daze from Claire's reaction. As the kiss ended, Claire looked past my arm at the retreating women behind us and let out a little growl.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I burst out laughing. "Claire, did you just growl at those women?" I asked her.

Claire looked up at me, somewhat defiant, and a little pouty. "Did you see the nasty looks they were giving me?"

I had to admit to myself that I had actually been paying more attention to the women's reactions to me than to Claire. "I'm sorry, Claire, I didn't see how they were acting towards you. What happened?"

Claire stopped and looked directly at me. "Haven't you ever noticed how when we are in public together, every woman over six feet tall looks at me weird?"

"What?" I asked her. I had never noticed this before.

"Yeah, Quil, every time we are out together, tall women give me weird looks. Tonight, though, that whole freak show of Amazon women were giving me the nastiest looks. Like it's _my_ fault they have to date guys shorter than them because you are obviously with me. It just made me so irritated!" Claire made a slight growling sound again.

"Well, my sexy wolf girl, you are welcome to be jealous and possessive anytime you wish," I told her before holding her face in my hands and kissing her gently. This seemed to calm her down enough to where kissing her in such a public place made her embarrassed, and she broke the kiss with a blush.

"Did you just call me sexy and kiss me?" Claire asked, looking up at me from beneath her long, thick lashes.

"Yeah, I happen to think my girlfriend is sexy, and I like kissing her, you got a problem with that?" I joked.

"Nope, not at all," she said, giving me my favorite smile that showed me her adorable dimples.

"How about you climb up on my back and I give you a piggy back ride to our next destination?" I suggested. Claire rolled her eyes at me and began to walk in the direction we had been headed. "What?" I asked, trying to figure out why she was acting upset.

Claire spun around and glared at me a bit. "We're on our first date, behemoth women just tried to give me a visual smack down for being too short for you…and_ now_ you want to start treating me like I'm seven or something?" she spat out.

I bent down and grabbed Claire around the waist and lifted her up in my arms. Looking at her with our noses almost touching I said, "Hey my sexy wolf girl, I think you are upset with the wrong person here. With your short legs and little jealous display, we're running a little late. I was just trying to offer you the opportunity to be up close and personal with my muscular back while I sped us to our next destination. I will even continue to call you sexy, and you may kiss my neck of you would like while we travel. Is that acceptable to you?"

Claire's scowl had been replaced by a grin during my little speech, and she giggled and nodded her acceptance of the ride. I swung her around and up to my back and started at a jog in the direction of the bowling alley. "Thanks for putting up with my little rant back there, Quil," Claire whispered in my ear.

"Anytime, Sweetheart," I told her. "Oh, and I was serious about kissing my neck…feel free."

Claire giggled and hid her face in my back. We laughed the rest of the way to the bowling alley. We continued with our casual joking fun all through two games of bowling, and as we left, Claire had no hesitation in getting up on my back for a two-mile ride back to where I had parked the truck. On the ride home our conversation got slightly more serious, and about half way home Claire apologized, saying, "Quil, I'm sorry about getting so jealous earlier."

In a much lighter tone, I assured her, "Claire, don't ever worry about jealousy with me. First, you never need to worry that I will ever be interested in anyone but you. You are my life, you are my whole world, and you are the only woman that I will ever truly see." I paused to look at Claire and she was grinning at me, her eyes sparkling. "Second, I thought it was _awesome_ that you were giving those women twice your size the stink eye, and it _totally_ turned me on when you grabbed me and kissed me in a jealous rage like that." Claire ducked her head in embarrassment. "So, seriously, feel free to get jealous anytime you want."

The remainder of the ride home was much more casual after that as we joked with each other and sang along with the radio, Claire controlling the stations. We pulled up to her house at eleven thirty, half an hour before curfew.

"Hey, we still have half an hour…" Claire paused suggestively, before asking, "Why are you dropping me off early?"

"Well, we are done with our date, and this way I figure your parents will be in a much better mood about letting you go out with me on our date tomorrow," I said.

I walked around the truck and opened Claire's door for her. I helped her out of the truck and walked her to her door. "So we are going on a date tomorrow, huh?" she asked.

"Well, we are dating now," I told her. We both noticed a movement with the curtains and looked at each other and grinned. "I think we have an audience," I whispered to her. "It's a good thing you kissed me properly earlier in the date."

Claire giggled and ducked her head. We reached her front door, and in an almost sarcastic way she very formally said, "Thank you for a lovely evening, Quil, I had a very enjoyable time."

I grinned from ear to ear and leaned in to kiss her as Daniel opened the door. I glanced up at him and boldly continued to lean in towards Claire. I gave her very sweet peck on the lips before standing up and acknowledging Daniel. I nodded at him and said, "Good Night." I then looked directly into Claire's eyes and very sincerely said, "Thank you for your enjoyable company this evening." I gave her a knowing smile and turned towards my truck. _This is going to be the best year so far!_ I thought as I drove to my house with a smile that seemed a now permanent feature of my face.

**A/N: I love reviews! Thanks for your support! I really appreciate it!**


	26. Chapter 26 Christmas Mistletoe

Chapter 26 Christmas Mistletoe

**Thanks to Imma Vampire & Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter! **

**I especially appreciate those who caught spelling and grammar errors and sent them to me in reviews, it is really tough to catch every little thing. I appreciate when those of you reading help to make my work even better!**

**Thanks for the extra muse help on this chapter from: ****BlackBird28, melissaturkey, GryffindorGal87, Imma Vampire, OurSong, ****Xxtwilight.obsessed.xX, LillyAlice**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 16 on the 5****th**** Aug 2019, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 29 on 2 Feb 2019.**

Chapter 26 The Great Mistletoe Attack of 2019

Claire had been sixteen for over four months now, and we were now in full dating mode. We spent every possible evening and weekend together. We even started to get jokes about being conjoined twins from a few people.

Thanksgiving was spent at Sam and Emily's with what looked like a feast big enough to feed an army. Claire made five pies and ten dozen dinner rolls the day ahead so all the ovens could be used to cook turkeys on Thanksgiving Day. Jacob and I decided to try our luck deep frying a turkey. Apparently the turkey should be completely defrosted and not covered in ice. To make a long story short, we were both glad for werewolf healing powers and that Emily had made us do it in Jacob's driveway at least twenty feet from any structures.

The day after Thanksgiving, Claire, Ariel, Skye, Emily, Sarah, Kim, and Leah went shopping. I had patrol with Leah that evening and heard way more about "Black Friday" sales than I ever wanted to know. Amazingly they woke up at three in the morning to get to Port Angeles for the door-buster sales. Long lines waiting in the dark to save a few dollars didn't sound like that much fun to me, but Claire, at least in Leah's memories, had a great time shopping and having girl time. At one of the stores they had a sale on little artificial sprigs of mistletoe, and all of the women purchased some.

During the patrol, Leah mostly spent her time pondering where she could place her sprigs of mistletoe to get the greatest humor and most embarrassing effects. She seemed to be purposefully hiding something when it came to Claire and the mistletoe. When I asked Leah about it, I saw a flash of what seemed to be a mental picture of more than a dozen of the sprigs of the mistletoe in Claire's basket. Leah quickly replaced that thought with a quick, _I'm not her babysitter, why would I be watching what she does?_ Then she started to mentally catalog all her colors of nail polish. Leah definitely knew something and was hiding it from me.

The following afternoon, I couldn't find Claire, so I went to the Dollhouse and found to my surprise that Claire had added extra rungs in the ladder. I raced up the ladder and found Claire already in the Dollhouse working. She instantly bent over her sewing machine to shield whatever she had been sewing. "Quil!" Claire said, completely startled, "I thought you were on patrol this afternoon! Uh, would you please hand me the fleece throw from the chair?"

"Sure, here you go," I said as I handed it to her. "I had patrol this morning, and I finished about an hour ago."

"Ah, umm, would you please turn around and close your eyes? I don't want you to accidentally see what I'm working on," Claire said.

"Oh, is that my present?" I asked, obediently turning around and closing my eyes.

"No, but you don't exactly have the best track record for keeping secrets from the pack. I'd like to keep this a surprise as long as possible." I heard the rustle of fabric and the click of her turning off the switch on her sewing machine. "Ok, it's safe to turn around and look now," Claire announced.

Claire had stood up from her chair and was walking towards me. Her sewing table was empty with the exception of her sewing machine covered in the fleece. "Starting Christmas projects in November?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I know it's kind of late to start sewing for Christmas, but I think I'll have enough time to get them all finished. If you don't keep interrupting me, that is," she joked with a slight touch on my nose. I moved my head slightly to kiss the tip of her finger, and she giggled. We had become a lot more physically comfortable with each other since her birthday.

"How can I spend my free time away from you?" I asked her as I scooped her up in my arms and swung her around. She squealed with delight before I set her back down. We gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before she asked me to take two steps backwards.

"Perfect, now I can kiss you," she said before grabbing the front of my T-shirt and pulling me in for a kiss.

I enjoyed the kiss, and when she pulled away I questioned, "Why did I need to step backwards for you to kiss me?"

She answered by looking above my head, "Mistletoe," she explained with an adorable grin that showed off her dimples.

Over the next several days and weeks, Claire continued spending every spare moment in the Dollhouse. She was sewing like crazy and had even set up a bell alarm system to make a noise when I was approaching so she could hide her work. "I am determined to surprise everyone this year, and I don't want your pack mind ruining it for me," she kept telling me.

The other thing that happened was that each new day, mistletoe would show up. I had no idea how much mistletoe Claire purchased, but she would put up at least one new sprig in the Dollhouse each day. She also put one in just about every place that we could possibly have a chance of it being over both of our heads. She attached some to the headliner in the inside roof of my truck and in the same spot in her car. She put some over every doorway in both of our houses. By the second week of December, there was hardly a place in the Dollhouse that I could stand without at least being partially under the mistletoe. I tried to mention that it was getting to be a little difficult to be in the Dollhouse with her because the time just seemed to turn into a big make-out session.

"Well, I am trying to sew Christmas presents for the pack in here, and I can't do that if you are around, so if I can't sew, I might as well spend my time kissing you," was her pert reply.

The following week, even more mistletoe appeared, and I spent less time in the Dollhouse and more time in my very cold shower at home. I was coming out of my now regular afternoon cold shower when I got a call on my cell phone.

"Quil, I got them in the mail today!" Embry said as soon as I said hello.

"Are we all set for Saturday? Did you get a baby sitter?" I asked.

"We're all set on our end, and I haven't told Ariel, I just said we needed a babysitter. So Ariel got Kim to watch Irene," Embry confirmed. "Are you sure they are going to go for this?" he asked, a little hesitant still about our plan.

"Dude, they're girls! Claire watches it every year on the TV, so I know she'll love it in person. Plus, don't you remember last year when Claire wanted to watch it, and Ariel said she had been in it? If she's been in it, I'm positive she'll love to go in person as well."

"Yeah, you are right. Hey, I just saw something on these tickets about how to dress. It says that we're supposed to wear a tie. If we should wear a tie, don't you think our girls will have something particular they want to wear? Maybe we should tell them before Saturday," Embry suggested.

"I hadn't thought about that. The last time we went on a date out of town, Ariel dressed up Claire for like an hour, and that was just for pizza and bowling. We should tell them," I agreed.

"Hey, Ariel has been asking for the two of you to come over and make Christmas cookies with us. Maybe the two of you could come over for dinner, we could make cookies, and then we could surprise the girls with the tickets. What do you think?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me, I already patrolled this morning, so I'm free. Claire has been working on preparations for Christmas, but I know she has been missing seeing Irene lately. She has been so busy preparing for Christmas that I don't think she has babysat for anyone all month. Let me give Claire a call really quickly, and I'll call you right back to let you know what she says," I planned.

"Sure thing, I'll be waiting to hear from you," Embry said before he hung up the phone.

I called Claire and talked through the details of dinner and making cookies at Ariel and Embry's. She called her parents for permission and called me back. "Ok, so my dad said I can go under one condition, that I bring home a plate of cookies for him," Claire said with a laugh.

"I'm pretty sure Ariel will be fine with that," I confirmed with a laugh. "Let me just call them and let them know we are planning on going to their place for dinner, and then I'll swing by to pick you up. Are you still at the Dollhouse?"

Claire confirmed that she was at the Dollhouse, and I called Embry back to let him know we were all set and would be there. When we arrived at Embry and Ariel's house, Irene squealed when she saw Claire. "Well, we know who the favorite babysitter is around here," Ariel said with a laugh. "I bet she has missed you. You have been so busy this month we have hardly had a chance to see you!" Ariel then took Claire to the side and in a much lower voice asked, "So, are you almost finished? How much more do you need to do?"

"Yes, I'm almost finished," Claire confirmed. "I am about ninety percent done with making them. I should be finished by the end of the weekend with everything, including the wrapping."

That caught my attention, and I motioned to Embry who nodded. "Uh, you might need to change your weekend plans just a bit," I started, as Embry went to get the tickets. "We have an early Christmas present for the two of you." Embry was taking his time trying to locate where he had hid the tickets, and so I stalled by joking with Claire and Ariel. "You see, we figured that you have permanently imprinted on our hearts, so we want to permanently print you on our bodies."

"Huh?" was Ariel's articulate reply.

"Tattoos. See, there is this place in Port Angeles with a really good tattoo artist. They say if the person comes in, he can capture their personality and ink it in a tattoo. So I figured since I am without a shirt so much, and phasing with a wedding ring is difficult to say the least, that I'd just get a big tattoo right here across my chest with your picture, Claire, and maybe your name underneath." At this point Embry had found the tickets and came up to join in the teasing.

"Yeah, Ariel, I was thinking the same thing, but on my back. Instead of just your face though, I figured I'd have him draw all of you, in silhouette," Embry said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

The girls just stared at us for a moment before Ariel spoke. "I totally know you're joking, and that you are making this up on the spot."

"What? Why would you say that?" Embry tried to look innocently at her.

"Because," Ariel said, "if someone drew the outline of my body on you somewhere, you'd want to be able to see it all the time. If you are going to get a tattoo to let women know you are married, why don't you get a tattoo of a ring on your left finger?"

Claire whipped her head at me with wide eyes. Obviously she liked that tattoo idea. "Hey, yeah! I know, you can get a tattoo that looks like a ring and that says, 'Claire's husband' around your finger!" She and Ariel gave each other a high five, and Ariel voiced her approval of the idea as well.

"Ok, ok, I'll think about it. But if mine is going to say 'Claire's husband', then you have to marry me first. So I guess that means tattoos are out for this weekend. Darn. Well," I paused, putting my arm around Embry's shoulder. "I guess we'll just have to use these tickets we got then." I turned to Embry and he pulled them out of his back pocket.

"Yup, four tickets for this Saturday," Embry began. "What do these say? I can't quite read them," he teased. I leaned over and acted like I was helping him read them. "Oh, that's right! They say they are for the Saturday matinee of 'The Nutcracker Ballet' in Seattle this weekend."

With that, Ariel and Claire started jumping up and down, clapping and squealing. "See, I told you they'd like it," I told Embry. "That noise, that jumping and screaming…that is girl talk for, 'Dude, that's awesome'!" I joked.

Both our girls came and hugged and kissed us at that point. I was reveling in the silly joy of the evening with Claire's arms wrapped around my neck, and her lips locked on mine when suddenly I felt her tongue lick my lower lip. I totally froze in place. My heart was pounding, and I could barely breathe. This was something Claire hadn't tried before, and here we were at our friends' house, in front of them and their baby! Claire evidently sensed my uneasiness, and gave me a quick peck on the lips before she let go of my neck. She didn't hide or shy away, and she didn't apologize, yet she did sense when I was uncomfortable and stepped back. I looked over to Claire and smiled at her. We had entered a new level of trust in our relationship, trust of physical closeness or intimacy. I could definitely get used to that!

"So, why don't we go into the kitchen and start making these cookies?" Ariel suggested as she picked up Irene and walked into the kitchen to set her in her high chair. "I made sugar cookie dough, it's in the refrigerator and ready to roll out and cut into shapes. Embry, will you please hand me the dough?"

Embry looked into the refrigerator and asked, "Which one is it? I see 5 bowls that look like cookie dough in here."

"Oh, any one of them is fine. They are all the same, I just made enough for both the packs," Ariel told him.

We spent the next little while making cookies together. The girls rolled and cut out the dough and put it on trays. Embry and I were in charge of putting them in and taking them out of the ovens. "It's a good thing you have two ovens, Ariel, I can't imagine you cooking this many cookies with a single oven," I commented after taking out the fourth tray of cookies.

"It has been a huge help! Claire, when you get your house, you need to make sure you have two ovens as well. How much longer will it be until you get your house?" Ariel asked Claire.

"Well, my eighteenth birthday is about twenty months away, so…" Claire shrugged as her voice trailed off. She looked over at me unsure as to what to say to Ariel.

I was in a bit of shock and just bought myself a little time by asking, "Did you want a house right away?"

Claire got a devious smile on her face and answered, "Well, you know how excited my mom is to get her sewing room, and I'm not thrilled with the idea of being a new wife and living with my mother-in-law." Claire paused and winked at me before saying, "And although you made me a very lovely dollhouse when I was little, that isn't the kind of thing you can live in."

"Dude, less than two years, you should start talking to the land office about property and getting plans and permits to build. If you are going to do any of the work yourself, you are going to want the time to get it finished. It's not like you are that Extreme Makeover Home Edition TV show," Embry teased.

I stood there nodding my head until the timer for the cookies woke me out of the daze. I couldn't believe that the time was so close already. _Wasn't it just yesterday that Daniel was telling me to stop spoiling Claire and start saving money for a house?_ I thought.

"Ariel, I think your question broke him," Embry stage whispered, and we all laughed.

The rest of the night just seemed to pass in a blur of cookies, frosting, and excited plans for Saturday's trip. Embry gave Irene enough frosted cookies to guarantee that he would be the one "staying up late and changing all the Technicolor diapers" according to Ariel.

As I dropped Claire off at home that evening, she asked if I was alright. "You seemed really out of it after we started talking about a house. If it's too much for you, we can look into renting or buying an existing house," she assured me.

I took her into my arms, kissed the top of her long, glossy, black hair. "Claire, it's not that it's too much for me, it's more like…" I struggled to think of the best way to say what I was feeling. "From the time you were two, I knew I would need to learn patience, and that I could either enjoy the day and what it held or constantly look forward to a future time. I think so much about the current day that sometimes things that require long-term planning take me by surprise. Tonight, I was mostly caught up in remembering the past fourteen years and looking forward to the next two or three years, and I guess I forgot a bit about today."

I felt Claire laugh against my chest as I held her. After a few moments, she settled down and seemed to be thinking. "I was wondering," she began, "do you think that I could maybe help pick out the house, even though we aren't married yet?"

I swept her up in a big bear hug and kissed her passionately on the lips. I slowly trailed delicate kisses to her ear before answering, "I wouldn't have it any other way." I also knew that before next week, I wanted to buy a book of house plans and add it to the stack of gifts that I would give her next week on Christmas Day.

Saturday arrived, and Claire called me at five in the morning to wake me up. "Hey, my ballet loving wolf girl, how long have you been awake today?"

"Oh, not too long, I slept over here at Ariel's and just got out of the shower a few minutes ago. Now she is doing my hair."

"Is she braiding it?" I asked, hoping that Ariel would be doing my favorite hairstyle for Claire.

"She's braiding it wet…I know you like it wet," she said slowly. I had no idea if she meant it as a double entendre or not, but it sure sounded sexy to me! I was stunned into silence for a minute, and I could hear her giggle on the other end of the line. "Are you up yet?" I heard more giggles.

Claire was about to say something else when I interrupted. "Claire, I think Ariel is being a bad influence on you," I said, only half joking. "I'll get ready and be over there as soon as I can."

"Oh, good, I like it when you are ready," Claire said and burst into another fit of giggles.

"Bye, Claire," I said and hung up the phone. Ariel was definitely being a bad influence on her.

I got ready for the day, and went over to Embry and Ariel's house. I saw Claire and almost gasped for breath. She was wearing a long, red velvety dress with white trim that looked perfect for Christmastime. Ariel had French braided Claire's hair into almost a wreath around the top of her head with some kind of flower or something woven in with it. It looked fantastic and really emphasized her cheekbones. As I went to hug Claire, I realized that it wasn't flowers in her hair, it was mistletoe! "Ariel, are you trying to kill me?" I practically screeched. "First, you give her all those…all those…ideas, and then you help her with the great mistletoe attack of 2019!"

Ariel, Embry, and Claire were practically on the floor laughing at me. Embry was the first one to be able to speak. "Quil, since when did you become a prude?"

I was still riled up and pointed an accusing finger at Claire, "Since there is still twenty months until she is eighteen, and since I promised her and her parents that we wouldn't be having sex before we were married!"

"I'm sorry, Quil, I won't follow the D…the house rules about mistletoe today. I mostly said those things on the phone and had Ariel put these in my hair to see your reaction here. I don't plan on torturing you all day with it, but they are all woven in, and it would ruin my hair to take out the mistletoe. I can't believe your reaction though! 'The great mistletoe attack of 2019!' That is totally hilarious!" Claire said, and they all burst into another round of laughter.

"It's an ear thing, Claire, definitely an ear thing," I said, still a bit frustrated, but starting to be able to appreciate the humor in it, even though it was at my expense.

We laughed and joked all the way to Seattle. The ride seemed to take almost no time at all. We arrived in time to have lunch at a clam place on the pier and head over to the theater for the matinee. Claire was in awe with the experience and couldn't keep the grin off her face. I don't think her dimples faded once throughout the entire experience! At intermission I held her face in my hands and gazed into her eyes. I placed my thumbs gently onto her dimples and whispered in her ear, "I love seeing your dimples; they tell me I'm doing something right." Claire smiled wider, and I kissed her more passionately than was likely appropriate for an audience full of families, although I did hear some young teenage girls near us sigh in a dreamy sort of way. I rested my forehead on hers and used "Mistletoe" as the excuse for my behavior. That got me a little giggle from Claire.

During the last part of the ballet, I mostly watched Claire. I couldn't think of anything more beautiful than the excitement and wonder I saw in her expressive face. We finished the day in Seattle with a short drive around to enjoy the festive lights and windows before heading to Post Angeles for a romantic restaurant and dinner for four.

On the way home from Port Angeles, an oldies song came on the radio "I Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon. It seemed to top the day off perfectly and fit us so well…

I can't fight this feeling any longer  
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow  
What started out as friendship, has grown stronger  
I only wish I had the strength to let it show

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever  
I said there is no reason for my fear  
Cause I feel so secure when we're together  
You give my life direction  
You make everything so clear

And even as I wander  
I'm keeping you in sight  
You're a candle in the window  
On a cold, dark winter's night  
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

And I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for  
It's time to bring this ship into the shore  
And throw away the oars, forever


	27. Chapter 27 Career Day

Chapter 27 Career Day

**Thanks to Imma Vampire & Birdee18 for the Beta work on this chapter! Especially for beta work when away from home!!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 16 on the 5****th**** Aug 2019, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 30 on 2 Feb 2020.**

Chapter 27 Career Day

It was the second week in May, and school was winding down. Claire only had a few more weeks left in her junior year. The school was having a career day for all of the high school students, and her teacher had asked each student to ask a relative or friend to come and talk about their job. She had made a special request that if any of the students knew someone that worked on or near the reservation that they ask those people to come and speak. Claire would have asked me anyway, but that pretty much sealed the deal.

It was the morning of career day, and I drove to Claire's house to pick her and Marc up. Even though she had her license and use of the car I bought when she got her learner's permit, she still liked me to drive her to school so we had an excuse to see each other at least twice a day.

She and Marc exited the house and came to the truck. I was hardly able to notice Marc because Claire was so stunning! Since turning sixteen, Claire had begun to dress in clothes that flattered her figure more, showing her curves. Sarah had worked with her on subtle makeup techniques that accentuated her beauty without really looking as if she was wearing makeup. The overall effect often had me breathless, and this morning was no exception. "Good morning, Claire!" I said with a grin that I couldn't hide as she climbed in through the passenger door. Claire slid over closer to me to sit in the middle of the bench seat of my truck, "Good morning, Marc," I said with a nod in his direction as he climbed in behind her and shut the door.

"Good morning," Marc replied.

"Morning," Claire purred in a heavenly voice as she leaned over to kiss me. Man, I was enjoying Claire being sixteen! Marc, however, was not enjoying it and made gagging sounds behind Claire until we both began to laugh and sat forward, ready to drive to school. "I am so excited that you are coming to school with me today! I can't wait to really show you off," Claire told me.

"Yeah, I kind of feel like I'm returning as a success story, you know? A couple of the teachers at the school were there when I attended. Since they are still teaching, I am looking forward to seeing the looks on their faces." I gave a low chuckle at the thought. There were several of the teachers that were really disappointed with the members of the packs for not leaving the reservation and going to college. Of course, they didn't know why we didn't go; they just were really pro-education and saw us as wasting our potential.

"Oh, right," Claire sort of mumbled. It suddenly occurred to me that if I were to make a big deal out of having attended that school, especially when I had attended that school, things could get a bit awkward for Claire with her classmates. No one needed a repeat of the fifth grade incident.

My protective nature took over and I said, "Don't worry about it, Claire. I will keep things low key." I could feel Claire relax next to me. We hadn't hidden our relationship at all, but we hadn't exactly gone around flaunting it either. If the teachers at the school emphasized the fact that I had been on this earth for thirty years, Claire's classmates might begin the same kind of harassment she had experienced in elementary school.

I guess I didn't need to worry about Claire's classmates harassing her about dating someone older. Most of the speakers at career day were parents, and I was pretty much the youngest one there, not counting the anti-aging werewolf thing. Getting up in front of all of the high school students to talk to them about college over the internet and my job of working from home wasn't too bad. The drooling looks from most of the girls were a bit awkward though. Claire looked uncomfortable the entire time. At times I thought it was because of the other girls at the school and their reactions to me. Other times, it seemed as if she was caught up in her own thoughts and worried about something else entirely.

At the end of our presentations, the presenters were asked to take questions from the students. Very few of the others were questioned on non-career based things. I was a different story, however. I got every question imaginable. Some were realistic, like what kind of computer, software, or internet connection I needed to use in order to do my job. Other questions were personal and had nothing to do with my career. Guys asked me questions about how much I could bench press or how tall I was. Girls asked me about my dating habits and how old I was. The teachers tried to deflect most of these questions, but I could tell a few of the younger teachers that I didn't recognize were interested in knowing the answers to some of these questions as well. As the time progressed, Claire looked more and more agitated.

"Okay, we have time for one more question," one of the young female teachers announced. "Tracy, what is your question, and to whom would you like to address your question?" _She's probably an English teacher,_ I thought.

Tracy stood up and said, "My question is for Quil." I saw Claire giving Tracy a death glare. Tracy glanced over at Claire and quickly gave her a nasty look before continuing. "I'd like to know, do you date high school girls?"

"That's not…" The teacher began to interrupt, but I decided to answer the question.

"Actually, if you don't mind I would like to address this question; it seems to be on several people's minds." The young teacher actually blushed at this. "I don't date high school _girls_," and put extra emphasis on the last word. I looked directly at Claire and began. "I have a fiancée. She is still in high school, but I don't date anyone else, so I don't date high school girls, just one girl." I watched as Claire lifted her head and looked into my eyes with a look of love and contentment that I hadn't seen all day. It warmed my heart, and I couldn't help but smile at Claire.

"Uh, well, um, thanks to all of you for coming today. Please, students, give all of our visitors a round of applause to thank them for being with us here today." The same young teacher stumbled through her closing statements and dismissed the students to go to lunch.

Claire stood and walked directly towards me. As I glanced over her head I noticed half a dozen other girls headed my way as well. "Sorry about that," I began.

Claire came up to me and grabbed me around the waist, hugging me. I instantly hugged her back. I noticed the look of shock on a few of the girls' faces before they glared into the back of Claire's head. "Hey, I thought you wanted to keep this low key," I teased her.

"That was before every girl in high school, and some of the teachers, wanted to get their hands on you." Suddenly she looked up at me suddenly and asked, "Not that I mind, but when did my status change from girlfriend to fiancée?"

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Well, you did ask me, remember?"

"I was five," she answered with a smile.

"Well, you haven't taken it back yet. Actually, I knew that stating I had a high school girlfriend wouldn't be enough to get a few of the girls to back off. You also looked upset." I leaned back from her embrace trying to see into her eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Let's talk about it after school. Can you pick me up today?"

"Yup, I'll be here," I promised, assuring her that I didn't need to work late or go on patrol. I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before heading out to my truck.

After school I picked up Claire and Marc. Claire seemed much more agitated then she had right before lunch, and I was worried. "Claire, what's wrong?" I asked with deep concern. I hated it when she was feeling bad. I felt an urgency to help her, to fix whatever was bothering her.

Claire glanced over her shoulder at Marc and then back at me. "Can we find somewhere private to go and talk?" she asked with a wink.

I knew immediately that she wanted to go to the Dollhouse. "Sure thing, my wolf girl," I answered with a kiss to her forehead. We went and dropped off Marc and her things at her house. We began walking towards the Dollhouse, but a few yards into the forest Claire asked if she could ride. "Absolutely, just let me phase," I said and went behind a tree. When I came out in my wolf form, Claire looked a little relieved. I knelt for her to climb on my back, and she paused and ran her hands across the length of my back before climbing on.

"Thank you," she whispered in my ear as she ran her fingers through the fur on my neck, then gripped fistfuls in her hands. "Ok, I'm ready," she said in a melancholy voice. I whimpered a little to confirm that she was really ready to go. She knew what I meant and leaned into my neck. "Yes, Quil, I'm ready to go to the Dollhouse."

She still seemed unsure enough that I didn't want to take off running and have her too distracted to hold on properly, so I started at a gentle walk. For a while, Claire kept her cheek on my neck and didn't really move. When we were about half way there, Claire inhaled deeply. I could feel her ribcage press firmly against my back as she did so, which sent tingles down my spine. She exhaled rather sharply near my ear, and I instinctively sped up. Claire giggled at her unintentional use of my accelerator and apologized. "Sorry, I wasn't doing that on purpose this time," she admitted.

I was so happy to hear her laughter that I honestly could care less if she was doing it on purpose or not. I laughed a bark and then she began to get a little playful and began blowing in my ear on purpose. She also gripped onto me more tightly with her knees, which unbeknownst to her had about the same effect on me. Man was I in trouble! I was so ready to kiss her by the time we reached the Dollhouse that I was tempted to phase back with her still on my back. I shook my head trying to dispel the thought and instead knelt down to let Claire climb off. "Quil, one of these days I'm not going to let you go run off and phase," she told me. Evidently we were on the same train of thought.

I went to phase and came back to the Dollhouse ladder. There were additional rungs that were put in the ladder for Claire at Christmastime. (She had wanted to keep making all of the stockings, with embroidered names, for both the packs a secret.) Claire had gotten in the habit of using the extra rungs to go into the Dollhouse by herself, so I was surprised to see her at the bottom of the ladder waiting for me. "Do you want to ride the elevator instead of climbing the stairs today?" I asked her.

"I just really feel like I want to be close to you today," was her response. She came over and rested her head on my chest.

I lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist, and her arms around my neck. "Elevator it is, then," I responded. I climbed the ladder quickly. Claire felt amazing in my arms, but I had never seen her like this before, and I desperately wanted to know what was going through that cute head of hers.

We reached the top, and I let her down. I went to sit in the massive bean bag that was in there, and Claire curled up in my lap. She sat there deep in thought for a few minutes, rubbing the hair on my forearm similar to the way she had pet my fur earlier. "Quil, I need to talk to you about something," she began.

Up to that point I had not been concerned about our relationship at all, just worried for her happiness. There was something in the tone of her voice that led my mind to race. I reviewed all that had gone on that day and began to panic. We had been at an assembly at her school talking about careers and college. Had she changed her mind and suddenly wanted to leave and attend college in some distant city? I had also basically announced to her entire high school that we were engaged. Did she no longer want to marry me? My mind was headed in directions I didn't want to go, so I stopped and asked her, "Claire, what do you want to tell me?"

She paused for a few moments. "It's about the career day…" She stopped and pursed her lips in a way that made her dimples show.

I leaned over and kissed one. I swallowed, and it felt like I had something stuck in my throat. "Go ahead, Claire, you know you can tell me anything." I rubbed her back as I cradled her in my arms.

Suddenly the flood gates were open. "I've been lying all day! I hate lying! I hate these stupid career days! Who cares if I like math and art? Like I'm really going to be a topographer!" she grumbled in frustration. I suddenly heard what she was thinking, but I was more lost than before.

I interrupted her stream of consciousness. "Claire, I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."

"I don't want that. I don't want to go away to college. I don't want to be in the corporate world with a career. Why isn't it ok for me to just say that I want to be a wife, a mother, a homemaker?" Claire finally looked up at me, her eyes pleading. "Can't we just get married now?"

I was at the same time relieved and shocked. I could think of over a dozen reasons why getting married would not be in her best interests at the moment, but I also knew Claire well enough to know that wasn't the solution she was seeking. I also didn't want to answer her question with a direct answer; it was a lose-lose situation for me. I decided to deflect her with a question of my own. "Who says it isn't ok for you to be a homemaker?"

"Uh, every teacher at the school," she said in an almost sarcastic tone. She sighed and leaned her head into my chest again. "I'm just so sick of high school. I guess several of the girls figured out I was the one you were talking about and started hassling me after you left today."

"I'm sorry about that, Claire. I shouldn't have announced you as my fiancée in front of the entire high school," I apologized.

"No, It was fine," she paused and then got a little bit of a wicked grin on her face. "Actually, I kind of liked you putting Tracy Longman in her place like that."

"That was Tracy Longman?" I burst out laughing. "Oh, that's ironic!" Claire began to laugh with me. I saw her relax more and decided to take it a step further. "Claire, what is really going on here?"

"It's just…Nobody but my family and you seem to get that I actually want to be a homemaker." She let out a huff, "Even my parents want me to go to college, though. They want me to expand my horizons and become a more well-rounded person. I'm one of the most well-rounded sixteen year olds I know. I can take classes over the internet and not leave. I can still mature and become well-rounded at home. Why does everybody want me to go away?" She grabbed my face in her hands and continued. "I want you. I always want to be with you. I want to marry you. I want to have your children, and I want to be a homemaker so I can take care of them and enjoy them."

I kissed her deeply, interrupting her train of thought. I pulled her to me and leaned back in the huge beanbag so that she was pretty much lying on top of me as I kissed her even more deeply. Claire pulled up to breathe; I could feel both our hearts pounding. "I love you! You are so perfect," I told her.

Claire rested her forehead on my chin and sighed. Then she started speaking so softly that, had I not had enhanced werewolf hearing, I would have missed it. "Sometimes, when I get tired of waiting, I get tempted to have you make love to me so I can get pregnant. I feel like…It seems like if I were to get pregnant right now, I'd cut a whole year off waiting time. I'd have everything I want. I'd be a wife, I'd be a mom. It just seems so unfair that the slutty girls who get pregnant get to cut in line. Sometimes I get jealous. Not all the time. I mean, I want to be good…I just get tired of waiting."

This change in the conversation was definitely a twist for me. "I…uh…" I tried to say something but really had no response for that.

"Look who I'm talking to, Captain Patience, great. I'm probably going to have to wait forever," she said. Claire rolled to the side, and sat up with her back facing me, her hip barely touching me, her arms wrapped around her knees.

I sat up beside her and placed a hand on her back. "Claire, I don't always have patience. _Believe me_, I get tempted too," I said. I reached out with my other hand and turned her towards me then ran my fingers down her cheek. "You are so soft," I whispered.

Claire tilted her head and leaned into my caress. "Why do we have to wait until I'm eighteen to get married?"

"Well, even though you think you know what you want right now, you may change your mind. You aren't…"

Claire interrupted me and raised her voice in fury. "Quil, do you honestly believe that after wanting to be with you my entire life that I would suddenly change my mind? Do you really think I am that flaky? How dare you…"

I leaned over and firmly held her face in my hands and stopped her ranting with another kiss. At first Claire was still upset and barely responded, but then she began to kiss me in return. She moved her hands into my hair, almost tickling my scalp when her fingers ran though my short straight hair, and sent tingles down my back. I moved my hands from her face and gripped the back of her neck with one hand, tangling my fingers in her silky hair. With the other hand I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her so that she was sitting on my lap. I heard her gasp, and I deepened the kiss. Claire let out a little moan of pleasure, and that snapped me back to reality. I loosened my grip and kissed her forehead gently. I let my lips continue to rest on Claire's forehead as I struggled to return my breathing to normal. "Claire?" I asked, and waited for her to verbalize a response.

When Claire was able to slow her breathing enough for normal speech, she answered, "Huh?" She sounded kind of dazed.

"Claire, I have loved you from the moment I met you. I want to marry you. I would love to marry you now, but you have to finish high school. There are already enough reasons that high school is difficult without adding being married to make it even more difficult." Suddenly I remembered that I had just gotten the house plans in the mail earlier that day. I inhaled sharply and took Claire by the shoulders and leaned her back so I could look in her eyes. I was suddenly very excited, and Claire could tell by the look in my eyes.

"Quil, what is it? What's going on?" she asked.

I jumped up with Claire in my arms then set her down so we could walk over to the table. "I got these in the mail today. I wanted to show you, but I forgot with our conversation." I pulled the papers out of the tube and unrolled the large blueprints. I handed her the envelope with the floor plans. "I listened to everything you had to say when we went through the book of house plans, and I added in some of the things I needed as well, and I think I've found the perfect house."

Claire pulled the floor plans out of the envelope and gasped. She studied them for a few minutes in silence before she whispered in quiet awe, "These are perfect!" I leaned over to look in her face and found her eyes brimming with tears. "Can we really have it all?" she asked.

"Well, it will take a while to build it, but if you are willing to be patient with me for another fifteen months, we can have it all, Claire." I moved to hug her, and she returned my embrace.

"Fifteen months, really, that soon, it will be done by then?" she asked surprised.

I started laughing and she looked up at me. "Claire, you said you wanted to get married as soon as possible, and your eighteenth birthday is fifteen months away. I told Jacob and the rest of the pack it had to be done by then. I might even speak with Sam and see if I can get some assistance from his pack as well." I couldn't help it, I was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Where are we going to build the house? Did you get approval for property yet?" Claire asked me.

"Oh, Claire that is the best part!" I sifted through some papers and held out a plat map which had an outline of the property in the middle. I showed it to Claire who just looked at me confusedly. I started pointing out places on the map. "Here is your parents' house, and over here is Sam and Emily's place. This square is Jacob's, and over there is Embry and Ariel's. This square over here…is our land." As I told her and pointed it out, I felt her shiver with anticipation.

"But it doesn't seem to be near anything. What is it near?" She asked.

"Here, let me give you a little perspective." I took a pencil and drew a small dot inside the square towards the back of the property. "Do you see that dot?" I asked her. She nodded. "That is where we are standing."

"Really? You got the land with the Dollhouse?" she asked full of excitement.

"Yup, if we build as planned, this will be right in the middle of our backyard," I told her with satisfaction.

Claire pouted a little. "I'm going to miss having our own little secret hideaway."

"Well, once our house is built, and we are married, we will have that as our own special place," I assured her.

Claire turned and placed her hand on the paper. She traced her fingers over the room marked nursery in the floor plans. "So, fifteen months?" she asked thoughtfully.

I placed my fingers under her chin, and tilted her head gently to look at me. "Yes, my darling Claire, fifteen months. Will you wait just fifteen more months with me?"

She smiled as big a smile as I had ever seen and teased, "Well, I guess if I have to, I can wait." We sealed the promise with a kiss.


	28. Chapter 28 Psych

Chapter 28 Psych

**Thanks to jacij1988 & ****CTYME1000**** for the Beta work on this chapter!**

**Thanks to Amelia Bedelia for being the muse on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire turned 16 on the 5****th**** Aug 2019, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 30 on 2 Feb 2020.**

Chapter 28 Psych

I sat around with my pack watching old reruns on DVD. We had just finished watching the fourth season of "The Office" when the suggestions started flying.

"I love that season finale! Quil, you should totally do that when you propose to Claire," Embry said laughing.

"Which part, the one where Jim gets his thunder stolen, or the part where Dwight makes out naked with Angela?" I said sarcastically. I had been thinking a lot lately about the idea of proposing, and the entire pack knew it.

"I like the idea of fireworks, maybe you could propose on the Fourth of July," Seth suggested.

"Or just make her think you were proposing on the Fourth of July, and then psych her out," Embry countered.

"But I think it would be cool to have the fireworks in the background for proposing, if you psych her out, you have to wait a full year to propose again with fireworks," Seth complained. Why he was so into this I had no idea.

Leah, who had been quiet up to that point broke in with, "British Columbia Day is the first Monday of August. They have fireworks in Victoria on that day."

Everyone stopped and stared at Leah. Even though she had mellowed out tremendously after being able to leave Sam's pack for Jacob's, she rarely was helpful when it came to our more hair-brained schemes. That thought made me do a double take. "Wait, Leah, you usually aren't up for our little plans. Do you think this is a good idea?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, being over thirty and single, I can appreciate seeing the little sixteen year old squirm a little before she gets her fairy tale wedding."

Yup, that sounded more like Leah. "So you don't think it's too harsh to fake a proposal on the Fourth of July and then actually propose…uh…like, a month later, is it?" I asked.

"No, it's not too harsh, and yes it's a month later," she responded sounding almost bored with the conversation by now.

"Hey I found it," Jacob called from my computer. "Here is the information on BC Day."

I leaned over the laptop screen and read:

"**British Columbia Day** - first Monday of August

Every BC Day weekend, the Symphony mounts Symphony Splash, an outdoor event that includes a performance by the orchestra sitting on a barge in Victoria's Inner Harbour. Streets in the local area are closed, as each year approximately 40,000 people attend a variety of concerts and events throughout the day. The event culminates with the Symphony's evening concert, with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture as the grand finale, complete with cannon-fire, a pealing carillon and a fireworks display to honour BC Day."

"Are you sure you want to get engaged in Canada? They can't even spell harbor or honor correctly," Seth asked as we all huddled around the screen.

I chose to ignore that comment and instead asked, "So, what is the date of the first Monday in August?"

Jacob looked over at the calendar, "The first Monday in August is the third."

"That is two days before Claire's birthday," I said almost to myself. I had wanted to wait until Claire was at least seventeen to officially propose, but I really liked the idea of a backdrop of fireworks. My thoughts were interrupted by my cell phone's alarm. "Well, time to pick up Claire. See you all later!" I called as I ran to the door.

Just two more days of the school year and then summer would begin. My thoughts drifted to summer and all of the time Claire and I could spend together. I had been working a little more through the spring so that I could take extra time off through the summer to be able to spend more time with Claire and to start the process of building the house.

I arrived at the school and was surprised to see Claire looking a bit melancholy. My mood instantly shifted to compensate for hers. Claire saw me, walked over to the truck, and opened the door to climb in, Marc followed in behind her. Marc chattered constantly the entire way to their house. When we arrived he climbed out and I asked Claire what was wrong.

She asked if we could drive somewhere, and I drove down the hill from her house towards First Beach.

I again asked, "Claire, what's wrong?"

Her answer was mumbled unintelligibly, and she didn't even look my way.

"I'm sorry; I don't speak bear, only English and wolf. Would you care to use one of those?" I teased.

Claire gave half of a courtesy laugh without any humor and announced, "Willow's pregnant." She sighed and looked out the passenger side window.

It was a sunny day away from the ocean, but foggy as we came within viewing distance of the beach. We entered the fog just past the road that led to the little cemetery, and Claire sighed. She knew I was taking her to where the weather better matched her mood. We parked in the dirt lot near the north end of First Beach and I helped her climb over the mass of driftwood between the parking lot and the beach. It was high tide and the sand was under water leaving just rock covered beach exposed. We walked south along the beach listening to the waves and the gulls.

I kept waiting for Claire to say more, but she didn't. I finally asked her, "What in particular has you so upset about Willow getting pregnant?"

Claire took a deep breath and looked out over the ocean before she said, "So many girls in my class are pregnant. Willow and I have talked about it so many times." Claire paused and walked over to a large driftwood tree and sat down. I followed her lead, and after another minute she began speaking again. "We would put the girls in to categories. There were the ones who thought they were in love, and were just stupid about birth-control. There were the ones trying to trap their boyfriends into commitment. There were the ones who didn't see their life going anywhere." She paused and finally looked at me to explain, "Like, they can't get into college because their grades are horrible, so they use a kid as an excuse. That also goes along with the ones who don't know what they want, and are too scared to try and make something of their life, so they chicken out and get pregnant. There are the ones that are just looking for love anywhere they can find it, and think a baby and a teenage boy are the answer. Then there are the ones that were just too drunk to remember what they were doing," she finished in a jaded tone.

"Wow, do you think any of them got pregnant for any good reasons?" I asked trying to get her thinking in a more positive direction.

Claire turned to look at me with an incredulous look, one eyebrow raised, and asked, "In what parallel universe is there ever a good reason for an unwed teenage pregnancy?"

"Uh…" I was stunned but quickly cut off by Claire as she stood up and began to pace in front of me and rant.

"How could she do this? We talked about this over and over. We were going to wait! I was going to get married, and she was going to go to college! I mean if you and I can wait with all this…" Claire waved her hand back and forth between us, "Imprinting, soul mate, tension and…stuff. Can't she wait to have sex too? Is that too difficult to ask?" she finished, throwing her hands up in the air dramatically.

"Claire, are you more upset that Willow is pregnant, or that she has had sex, and we haven't?" I asked calmly.

Claire whipped her head around to glare at me. She looked fierce, and like she was going to begin to yell for a second. Instead, she took a deep shaky breath and let it out as she came over to sit down next to me again. Her shoulders sagged as she slumped down, sitting on the smooth log. Claire shook her head back and forth as she acknowledged the truth to herself before speaking aloud. "I don't know, both I guess." I put my arm around her shoulders and she sighed and leaned into my chest. "Why does doing things the right way, have to suck so much?" she mumbled into my chest.

I chuckled at her comment, and decided to try and make the other option look worse. "So, you would prefer to spend your senior year of high school throwing up, gaining weight, and not being able to be with me because I was in jail doing time for statutory rape? Yeah, sounds so much better than the year we have planned. Let's do it the wrong way!" I said with mock enthusiasm and wrapped my arms around her kissing her forehead, hair, ears, and anywhere else on her face I could reach with noisy, sloppy kisses.

Claire was in fits of giggles almost instantly and she squirmed to get out of my silly torture. "Okay, okay, I get it," she said as she pushed me away. She rolled her eyes and said, "Only I would have the boyfriend who would encourage me to be chaste until marriage." She shook her head at me giving me a huge grin. Claire then came over and held my face in her hands. With a much more serious look in her eyes, she said, "Thank you, Quil. You are the best!" and gave me a nice gentle kiss.

Her mood was now officially better, so I decided to share my news as we headed back to the truck. "Well, I heard from the housing authority today. Jacob's influence is basically letting us get all kinds of exemptions. They are letting us go ahead with the non-standard building job and giving us the extra land with the provision that we will build an outbuilding for the security force."

"An outbuilding for the security force?" Claire questioned, as we headed back to the truck.

"Yeah, the pack gets a clubhouse of sorts, and we get to have the house built the way we want. We still have to use comparable siding and shingles to the other houses, for our house. They don't want it to stand out too much, but we have flexibility with the design and building process. The outbuilding will be a log exterior. We have permission to use the trees that we need to remove from the land when we build the clubhouse," I informed her.

"Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that I will end up cooking for the entire pack like Emily does for Sam's pack?" she asked.

"What, you think that just because you are an excellent cook, and the pack will be hanging out just outside our house, and Nessie doesn't like to eat human food, you think that the job of cooking for the pack will fall to you?" I teased. She and I both knew it would be her unofficial job, and we both knew she would enjoy it and be very good at it.

We both laughed as we got into the truck. "Yes, that's exactly what I think." She buckled her seat belt and looked at me excitedly, and asked, "So when do we get to start working on it?"

"Actually, I have good news and bad news." We drove up the hill away from the ocean and towards her house, breaking out of the fog into the sunshine as we went. "The good news is that the pack began work on it this morning. The bad news is that the Dollhouse is no longer a secret."

Claire laughed at that. "Yeah, I figured it wouldn't take long before you got to the Dollhouse. Was the pack surprised? Had we really kept it a secret from them?" she was eager to know.

"Surprisingly, we actually did keep it a secret. Leah was the one who said, 'You know, I was beginning to wonder if it was code. Playing with a doll house was weird at any age for you, but Claire being sixteen and still playing with dolls, especially over at Emily's, we should have figured this out earlier.'" We laughed as I pulled up by her house, and parked the truck. "Why don't you put your backpack in the house and we'll go check it out," I suggested.

She ran inside and returned less than a minute later with an empty tote bag and a dinner invitation. "So, my mom said you are invited to dinner tonight, and we should be back by six."

"Sounds great, why don't you hop on my back and I will run you out there," I suggested.

"What, like this? You aren't going to phase into wolf form?" she asked quietly in my ear after climbing on my back.

"You'll see why," I told her. "What is the reason for the tote bag?" I asked as I began a good paced jog into the forest.

"Well, if everyone knows about the Dollhouse now, I think there may be a few things that I'd like to take home for…" Claire stopped midsentence, I am sure because she was stunned by what she saw. "The forest…the trees…where?"

I turned a little so she could see the pile of stripped tree trunks on the one side of the path, and paused there to let her take it all in. I pointed out things and began to explain. "That pile over there is where we put the branches and ferns and things. Over there are the trunks without any of the branches on them that we will use for the pack's outbuilding. We really need to come up with a good name for it," I said offhandedly.

"It's so open. I can hardly believe it is the same place!" Claire said in almost a whisper.

"I know," I answered empathetically. "I am going to miss the cover of the forest too, that's why I can't phase and take you out here in wolf form, it's too open now. But Claire, all of our houses can't be tree houses." I patted Claire's head before adding, "Trust me, I already tried that." I continued to point out things to her. "So here is where out driveway and property line will officially begin," I pointed out. "The driveway is already cleared, and where the logs are piled up over there will be the parking for the pack's place. Then over here we cleared the edges of the yard where we will build the house. Tomorrow we will clear the center trees where we will build the house. The back yard is done and it is clear to the Dollhouse." I walked around the property as I showed her the different things we had done. We came around the edge and it opened into the cleared rectangular shaped spot that would be the backyard. The Dollhouse was visible from the cleared area; there was just one line of trees in between the clearing and the Dollhouse. I heard Claire gasp as she took a sharp intake of breath, and felt her go limp on my back. I held on to her and pulled her around me to cradle her in my arms. "Claire, are you alright?" I asked, slightly panicked fearing she might have passed out.

Her eyes were open though, and she nodded her head indicating she was at least technically coherent. "I…it…You did this all today?" Claire asked in obvious shock.

"Yeah, it helps to have werewolf strength. We would have done more, but we had to stop so we could get the DVD marathon in before I needed to pick you up from school. We'll finish clearing the rest of the trees and underbrush tomorrow. Are you feeling up to going into the Dollhouse yet?" I asked her checking to see that she was breathing at a normal rate.

"Yes, I'm fine now, really," Claire responded.

I set her down and turned her away from the Dollhouse. "Just think Claire, right over there will be our very own house." I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "It will be yours and mine, our kitchen will be over there," I pointed out the space where the future rooms would be built. "Our living room will be over there," I said and blew in her ear a little. She shivered in response to my hot whispered breath in her ear. "And over there," I continued, wrapping my arm around her waist, "Will be our bedroom." I let my lips brush against her ear as I spoke the last part.

Claire's response was immediate as she moaned and turned in my arms and kissed me passionately. "Quil, I love you so much! Do we really have to wait a whole other year to be married? I'm sure we could talk at least one of my parents into giving consent," she begged after pulling away.

Man, the pull of what the imprint wants is strong! I didn't think it would be this difficult. I leaned over and spoke in her ear. "Claire, there isn't a bedroom there yet, it is still just trees. Besides, now our secret Dollhouse isn't a secret anymore. Don't you want a traditional wedding? Have you made your dress yet?" I asked her knowing she hadn't.

This made Claire stand up straight and look a little frustrated, the spell broken. "Last week Mom told me that she and Aunt Emily won't help me make and bead my buckskin until you propose. It's going to take months to bead it with the pattern we chose, we already know the day, I don't see why I can't get started," Claire said with a bit of a frustrated pout.

"Hey, I technically haven't proposed yet, you are going on assumptions here, that we are going to be married," I teased with a smile.

She glared at me and huffed. "Quil, you seem to be forgetting that I already proposed to you, and you already agreed, so it's set."

"Why don't you just tell your mom that?" I asked with a smirk.

She turned, looking towards the Dollhouse, and let out a short sigh, "I tried, she said a verbal contract with a five-year-old isn't good enough for her, she said that she needs to see a ring before she believes we are officially engaged."

My mind raced to the episode of "The Office" I had seen earlier in the day with the fake out proposals. I knelt down on one knee behind her and started to speak in a quiet gentle voice, "Claire, I love you." Claire slowly turned around and her eyes got wide. "Will you…" I paused for effect and noticed she held her breath. "Will you…climb on my back so we can get what you need from the Dollhouse? We don't have much time before we need to head back for dinner." I finished in a regular voice.

Claire stood there completely stunned just blinking her eyes. I think she was deciding on whether to say anything about what I had done or not. I could see her internal debate. On the one hand, she could call me out on my teasing, on the other hand, I might have innocently been doing something, and she would just be embarrassed. Finally she composed her expression and squeaked out a quick, "Sure," before climbing on my back.

As we climbed up to the Dollhouse I thought of several ways to refine my technique and different situations where I could pull it off. If she didn't have a nervous breakdown at the age of sixteen, this was going to be quite a bit of fun!


	29. Chapter 29 BC Day

Chapter 29 BC Day

**Thanks to Amelia Bedelia for being the muse on this chapter! Her emails helped with the fireworks, and her story SlapJack helped me get in the mood to write this chapter after a long day of cranky kids!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire will turn 17 on the 5****th**** Aug 2020, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 30 on 2 Feb 2020.**

Chapter 29 BC Day

"Quil, I'm not going to play your little game anymore. I don't want to get all dressed up on a Monday just so you can drive me around and fake me out. It's getting a little old. Besides, I overheard my mom and dad talking, and they said you weren't planning on proposing until I was at least seventeen. That isn't for two more days," Claire said unaffected by my request to dress up.

"Claire, who said anything about me proposing? All I'm just suggesting that you might want to wear some of your nicer clothes. I'm not saying you need to be in a dress or anything. Oh, and you should bring along a sweater. It's supposed to get cold later," I tried again. My fake proposing on the Fourth of July had been a little too real for her, and she had been resistant to any of my suggestions for the past month that seemed the least bit unusual.

"Quil, if I need to be warm, I have you. I won't need a sweater," she argued.

"Claire, could please just bring a sweater along for in the truck at least? It's supposed to get down to forty degrees or something tonight," I tried to persuade her.

"Fine, How long before you get here to pick me up?" she asked.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," I confirmed before hanging up the phone. I prepared everything, and continued the internal debate over whether or not to drive my truck onto the ferry. On the one hand, I felt like I should leave my truck in Port Angeles. There would be a ton of people in Victoria today, and parking would be a nightmare. On the other hand, that would limit us to places we could go on foot and public transportation. I finally decided that if they were going to have 40,000 people there, they must have a way for them to get around, and worse case scenario I could carry Claire around piggy back. That would look normal enough, right? Guys of average strength will carry their girlfriends around on their backs at times. I'm sure I had seen them do it before. Now the only trick would be how much I needed to carry around with me all day. I thought it through and with the money I would save in parking and ferry fees, I could buy everything and not have to carry a blanket or basket or anything around with me. Well, I did have one thing to carry around, a ring.

I picked the small velvet box off of the nightstand and checked the ring one last time before placing the box in my pocket. Just thinking about it made my heart start to beat faster. I picked up my keys and wallet and headed out to my truck. I had the small box in my right pocket, but switched it over to the left to be less obvious to Claire, and to keep it out of the way of my seat belt. I had looked at what seemed like thousands of rings before settling on a simple solitaire.

Jacob getting married to one of the Cullens had procured us an odd relationship between the Cullens and our pack. So when I needed advice on a ring, I went to the best expert I could think of, and got Edward to help me. Not only did he know about color and clarity and all that stuff, but his eyesight was good enough to notice any flaws that they were trying to pass off. He used his connections to get me an excellent diamond for about half of the price I would have to pay at a retail store, and then helped me get it set on a simple platinum band. I wanted to surprise Claire with a ring when I proposed, but also wanted her to be able to choose the style and shape of ring she wanted, to match with the solitaire.

I pulled up to Claire's house and knocked, waiting for her to answer. She came to the door in faded jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt, and immediately looked me up and down. She took in my kaki pants, my navy button up shirt, and my dressy casual shoes and said, "Oh, Crap," before slamming the door in my face. I laughed at having taken her so off guard, and simply knocked on the door again.

This time Sarah answered the door, wiping her hands on a towel, and calling up the stairs to ask Claire what the problem was. She opened the door a little further and saw my attire and a knowing look came over her face. "Oh, I get it. You know, you call wolf one too many times, and people will stop believing you." Sarah paused to laugh before adding, "Come on in, I'm sure she won't be too long. You look very nice today." She looked over her shoulder up the stairs to make sure Claire was out of hearing range, and then whispered "Do you have the ring?"

"Thanks for the compliment on the duds; if you have that basket we discussed ready, then I will have everything I need for today," I answered vaguely.

"Oh, come on, you can tell me!" Sarah whispered emphatically as she walked to the kitchen to get the basket of muffins and juice. "Do you have a ring; are you really going to propose today?"

I just grinned back as she handed me the basket, not giving in an inch. I quickly ran it out to the truck and came back inside. "You know, if you are anxious to help Claire with beading her buckskin, I'm sure she'd be happy to have your help. You're the one that told her you wouldn't help her until she was actually engaged with a ring. You could change your mind about that if you are anxious to get started," I teased her.

"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm going to…" Sarah was interrupted by the sounds of Claire coming down the stairs.

I looked up to see Claire descending the stairs wearing a pair of high heeled Black Crocs, black slacks that flowed and hugged her body when she moved, and a raspberry colored silk blouse that wrapped her torso perfectly. She had also pulled her hair back from her face in a barrette, letting the remainder hang down her back. She seemed to move in slow motion as she came down the stairs. She absolutely took my breath away. "Um, I'm ready now," she said hesitantly as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

I smiled at Claire, stunned by her beauty. Sarah brought me out of my daze by saying, "Both of you look so lovely today, why don't we get a picture of the two of you before you leave for your big date?" We obliged her and stood to get our picture taken. The flash went off and Sarah checked the screen of the digital camera to see if the photo had turned out properly. She laughed at the photo and said, "Alright, now how about a picture where we can see both of your faces in the same zip code. Quil, why don't you sit down, and Claire, you can sit on his lap." We followed her instruction and our cheeks touched as we posed for the picture. Sarah checked the result and voiced her approval, "Much better!"

"I agree, I like this much better as well," I whispered in Claire's ear. I felt the shivers running down her back and rubbed the goose bumps on her arms. "I really think you'd appreciate a sweater at some point today," I suggested again.

"I'm not cold at all," Claire insisted, "These goose bumps are all your doing. I think I'll risk it, it is August after all."

I hugged Claire and stood up, keeping her in my arm as I walked toward the front door. "August or not, the weather is supposed to get down into the forties tonight. But that's okay; I brought enough cash to buy you a sweater if you get too cold."

Claire gently shook her head and rolled her eyes at me. "I'm not going to need a sweater if you stay close enough to me. But, now I know we are headed somewhere with stores. Thanks for the hint!" she finished enthusiastically.

I laughed and we both called out our goodbyes to her mom as I carried her to the truck. I opened the door and placed her in the passenger seat with a kiss. "I love you," I whispered in her ear as I reached for her seatbelt.

She pushed the seatbelt away and slid toward the center of the bench seat. "If you are in this kind of mood, I am definitely sitting in the middle right next to you," she said with a seductive smile on her lips.

My heart jumped into my throat and my hand instinctively went to my left pocket, as I thought about the ring that was soon to be hers. I smiled back and closed the passenger door before going to the driver's side. Claire was already buckled into the center seat and I slid in right next to her. I started the car and drove with my left hand and put my right arm around her shoulders, basking in the comfort of her touch.

"So what do we have planned for today?" Claire asked casually as she rested her head on my shoulder.

I laughed lightly as I pulled onto the main road heading out of La Push. The weather was overcast without any precipitation, perfect conditions for driving. "I'm not going to give in that easily. You'll figure it out soon enough."

Claire let out a small huff and was quiet, but I could hear her heart rate change as she thought through different possibilities in her mind. Several minutes into our drive as we passed the Cullen's house and the 113, Claire's heart rate really began to speed up, and I was aching to know what she was thinking. I leaned over and rested my chin on her head. I continued to look out the windshield as I asked, "Claire, I can hear your heart racing, what are you thinking about?"

Her back stiffened a bit and she mumbled, "I just thought of a possibility of what we could be doing today."

I chuckled, "You do know we aren't breaking any rules today, right?"

She seemed a little embarrassed, "That wasn't actually what I was thinking about, Quil."

"Care to share what you were thinking about then?" I prodded.

"No," she assured me.

I smiled at what she could be thinking and thought about the first part of my plan. We were approaching Crescent Lake. As we followed the narrow road that winds amongst the trees and ferns along the southern shores of the lake, I slowed a bit in anticipation of turning into the secluded picnic area that was sure to be vacant this early on a cloudy Monday morning. I decided to set the mood a little further by asking Claire a question that would get her thinking along the lines of marriage, if she wasn't already. "Claire, aren't those wild sweet peas so beautiful? Have you ever thought of what flowers you might like to have at our wedding?"

I could hear her heart rate accelerate at my question, and I turned my head slightly to avoid my face giving anything away. "Well, I know I love the tiny white flowers that bunch up together, those, over there," she pointed some out to me. "I think they are called Ocean Spray, and they grow wild everywhere and remind me of the waves as they crash against the rocks. I'd really like those. Plus the purple foxgloves and sweet peas would blend nicely together, maybe even adding in some ferns. They all make me think of when we run through the forest together, and make me think of the land and the werewolf I love," she finished thoughtfully. She was quiet as she gazed out the window at the flowers and ferns she described. It felt homey and cozy as we were in almost a tunnel of trees only opening up every so often on my side of the road to a beautiful view of the lake.

I slowed to make the left hand turn to pull into the picnic area. As we wound around the tiny one-way paths of the picnic area, Claire was more alert, and a bit confused. I drove to one of the further picnic areas closer to the lake so we could enjoy the view as we ate our muffins. I parked the truck and hopped out. As I turned to unbuckle Claire's seatbelt and help her out my side, she had a look of utter confusion on her face. I couldn't help but smile as I held her gently by her hips and slid her towards me on the seat. "Claire, you look hungry. I'm guessing you didn't have much breakfast this morning, am I right?"

"Yes," she said slowly and cautiously. Her look turned to surprise as I pulled out the picnic basket with my left hand, and picked her up with my right.

I set her down and touched my lips to her ear, "Well, how would you like a secluded breakfast for two in one of the most romantic places in the world?" I felt her shiver and heard her breath hitch. She merely nodded in response as I led her towards a picnic table overlooking Crescent Lake. I set down the basket and proceeded to pull out a tablecloth candles and plates before pulling out the muffins.

Upon seeing the muffins the spell seemed to be broken just a bit and Claire began to breathe and let out a little giggle. "I take it you had help preparing this meal then?" Claire asked.

"Yes, your mom made them for me. I didn't want to spoil the mood of the day by giving you food poisoning," I joked lightly, touching the tip of her nose with my index finger.

"Yeah, that's probably a wise idea," she teased back. I served the muffins and poured glasses of juice, and sat down to eat with Claire. She took a bite and got a sly smile on her face. She waited for me to take a bite of my muffin before she looked at me with her eyebrows raised, a questioning look on her face. "So, what do you think about the muffins, Quil?" she asked me.

I could tell there was something different about them, so I told her. "There is something different about them. They aren't quite as good as yours," I admitted.

She got a huge pleased smile that was almost smug. "I've learned a few tricks that I haven't shared with my mom," Claire confided with a smirk. "I'm glad you can tell a difference. If you had said you liked my mom's muffins better, you'd have some issues to deal with today, Mister," she threatened teasingly.

"Don't worry, Claire, you are by far my favorite cook, and always will be," I reassured her.

We continued to eat and chat for a good half an hour before it was time that we would need to head out if we were going to make the ferry. We hadn't talked seriously, but it had been a rather romantic setting. I gathered everything up and placed it in the basket on the ground next to Claire. I had it positioned just perfectly so that as I was on one knee putting everything away. I was within a foot of where she was sitting, and she was facing the lake. I just needed her to turn towards me a little further. I considered calling out her name, but didn't want her to know I was aware of that fact that it looked like I was ready to propose. I didn't want to torment Claire, but I did want her thinking along the lines of proposal today. I clinked the glasses together just enough to get her attention. My face was looking up at hers as she turned around, her heart began to race and her eyes widened. "Claire…" I paused just long enough to hear her heartbeat pick up even more. "Are you ready to go?" I finished, standing up and holding out my hand for hers.

Claire blinked several times and finally snapped out of her daze enough to nod her head and reach out for my hand. "Um, sure…are we headed back home already?" she questioned.

I leaned in and whispered in her ear, "That's for me to know, and you to find out," making sure I blew in her ear; I'm sure covering her entire body in goose bumps.

We got back in the truck, and I headed out to the main road. I had to chuckle to myself as Claire held her breath when we reached the main road. As soon as I pulled out to the left, heading east towards Port Angles, she let out her breath in a whoosh and her heart rate picked up a bit. "So we aren't headed home," Claire stated.

"Nah, I figured we'd make a day of it. In fact, I have special permission to keep you out past your normal curfew," I winked.

The ride to Port Angeles went by rather quickly as we chatted about the most recent developments of the two Quileute packs, and the progress on the house and pack log house gathering place. I still was bugging Jake trying to get it a proper name.

We got to Port Angeles about eleven, and still had a little over an hour before the ferry took off, so I headed over to the Jack In The Box over near the hospital. I looked over at Claire as we pulled into the drive through and the look of utter confusion on her face made me completely lose it! "Claire, don't try to think so hard. If you go with the flow today, you will have a great time. If you keep waiting for something particular to happen, you might miss the fun of what we are actually doing."

"Ok, Quil, I will go with the flow today…but you know, if you just told me now, then there would be no need for me to be wondering, because I would know," she insisted.

"But where would be the fun in that?" I asked before turning to my window to order. We ate in the truck as we drove the few blocks to the ferry parking lot. "Well, I decided that we'll leave the truck here, so we need to finish up lunch, and then we can go buy the tickets," I informed Claire.

She got a sly smile on her face before she said, "So Mr. I-have-everything-planned-out, did you think to bring my proper identification?" She actually looked a little smug at the idea that my plans would be thwarted due to my trying to keep a secret from her.

"What you mean these?" I asked as I pulled her passport and driver's license from the picnic basket. Her mouth fell open in shock. I leaned over and gently shut her mouth with a single finger on her chin. "Like I said before, you should just relax and enjoy the day." I leaned in and kissed her. She tasted like the hamburger she had just finished, and also a little salty from the fries. I deepened the kiss enjoying the flavors that were unusual on her lips. Claire sighed and slightly moaned before she leaned in to press against me. I couldn't help but smile as I thought of her enjoying the day more. I really did want her to enjoy today!

While we were still kissing I managed to unbuckle her seat belt and lift her from the truck. I set Claire down and broke the kiss slowly. I kept my left arm around her as I quickly gathered up the trash with my free hand so my truck wouldn't smell like leftover hamburgers when we got back. "Come on, Claire, let's dump this and head over to the ticket office.

We boarded the ferry rather soon after that, and I guided Claire to the front of the ship. "You aren't going to try and recreate that scene from the movie 'Titanic' are you?" she asked a little worried.

I leaned over and in my deepest voice asked, "Would you like me too?"

Claire gasped in embarrassment and quickly said, "No!"

I chuckled and responded with, "Well, if you don't want me to, I won't," even though I had absolutely no intention of standing on the rails and making a fool of myself.

The ferry started and the hum of the engine was just loud enough for us to keep our quiet conversation private from other passengers nearby. I watched Claire with joyful awe as the movement of the ship caused her hair to flow gently away from her face. The fine mist of the ocean spray kissed her cheeks and made her entire countenance seem to glow. I smiled at her with what _had_ to be an expression of pure love, as I was feeling only love for Claire and awe in the fact that she was mine. She returned my gentle smile with one of her own, and my breath caught at the sight of her dimples. Everything about Claire was so perfect…I reached for the ring box in my pocket.

"We'd like to welcome everyone aboard today…" the startling announcement began over the loud speaker, and the mood was broken. After a second of shocked frustration, I was glad for the interruption that had allowed me to keep my plans on track. Fireworks at dusk really would be a much better backdrop for a memorable retelling to friends and relatives for years to come.

After the voice over the loud speaker was complete, I noticed that Claire was eyeing me studiously. "Quil, was there something you wanted to discuss with me?" she asked. "It seemed like you were about to say something before the announcement began." She really was a little too observant at times.

I kissed her cheek before saying, "No, I didn't have anything in particular I was going to say." I turned her around to face the water, and held her to my chest as I stood behind her. Her waist length hair blew to either side of me, and I almost felt wrapped in a curtain of protection from the outside world.

We spent most of the remainder of the ride that way, enjoying the ocean breeze and gentle motion of the ferry as we sped across the water towards our destination. I occasionally would catch a glimpse of something and lean over to point it out to Claire. We rode at the front the entire way, and seemed to be surrounded by a mystical peace that often accompanied our uninterrupted time together.

As we arrived, the fairy tale feeling seemed to continue. There were crowds of people gently stirring through the area, and live music could be heard from various locations. I took Claire's hand protectively in mine, and gently guided her through the streets filled with the celebratory mood. After a few blocks, Claire paused and turned to me, "Quil, what is going on here today? Why are there so many people?"

I studied her expression, and realized that she was pondering the possibility that I had arranged for thousands of people to be here as backdrop and atmosphere for our date. I decided to tease her with the idea for just a bit. "Well, I wanted today to be really special just for you, so I thought thousands of people in the party mood would set the proper tone for the day."

Her eyes flashed with shock for just a second before narrowing and repeating her question. "Quil, what is really going on here today?"

I laughed and told her about it being British Columbia Day. I asked her if there was anything she would particularly like to do or see while we were here today, and she let me know she would like to see the famous flower gardens. We had a great time the remainder of the day, enjoying the architecture and gardens, as well as the music and shopping only available on a day such as today.

As the evening wound down we walked closer to Victoria's inner harbor and found a place to sit at the edge of the harbor amongst the crowds. The temperature began to dip into the mid forties, and I again asked Claire if she would like a sweater. "Seriously, I can buy you one as a souvenir or something," I pushed. "Don't you see all those other women in coats and sweatshirts?" I asked for what seemed like the tenth time.

"Quil, really, I'm fine. Just because those other women have to suffer without a hot boyfriend doesn't mean that I am stuck out in the cold. Seriously, you need to stop worrying about it," she finished with a wink, even though I had absolutely caught her double meaning without the help.

The crowds were all finding places to sit by now, and there was definite anticipation in the air with the prospect of music and fireworks ahead. My own heart raced with the anticipation of proposing to Claire. I sat on the ground with Claire in my lap, leaning against my chest, my arms wrapped protectively around her arms for warmth and comfort. If she suspected anything, I wasn't aware of it. I leaned over and said, "I love you, Claire," making sure I caressed her ear with my lips. I felt the shiver that rippled through her body, and smiled at her reaction.

After more than an hour sitting and talking, waiting for the event to begin, the symphony began playing from the barge on the water, and the crowd was a rumble of excitement. I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The Building behind us outlined in white lights, the harbor in front of us with many rafts, canoes, and such in the water. There were so many people; I had begun to doubt if this could really be the amazing romantic atmosphere I had anticipated.

The music was a mixture of classical and contemporary pieces and everyone seemed to be enjoying the music even though it appeared as if it might not be their regular fare. "Claire, are you enjoying yourself?" I asked, hoping she would say that she was.

She turned in my lap to look up at me and smiled with a look of pure contentment, "I really am, thank you," she said. She reached and kissed me, and just then the symphony began to play a classical piece I recognized as one commonly used as a wedding march. Claire froze and I could tell by the look in her eyes she thought I had planned out my question to coincide with the wedding music.

My heart began to race, and I wondered if maybe I should change my plans and just ask Claire to marry me then, ending the questions in her mind. But I had planned the proposal months ago to coincide with the performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with bells, cannons and fireworks. I couldn't give in now, no matter how perfect it seemed at the moment, I knew it would be even better later. I gazed into Claire's eyes as she continued to look at me with anticipation. "I love you," I said, and kissed her again.

This time as I finished the kiss Claire's eyes first looked expectant and then narrowed a bit before she turned around and looked to the symphony again. I moved my left hand to check that her ring was still indeed there. I moved to wrap her again in my arms, and felt her stiffen. My resolve almost broke at that, as much as I wanted things to be an ideal setting for the proposal. I tried one last time to help her calm. I decided to tell her that I loved her, and figured if she didn't relax, I would pull out the ring to let her know I was serious. "I love you, Claire," I said in my deepest voice, directly to her ear.

Claire responded with a deep sigh before she relaxed back onto my chest and said, "I love you too, Quil."

We listened to the wonderful music as the sun set in the western sky. At times Claire seemed to be so relaxed that I wondered if she had begun to doze off after our long day. It was becoming dark enough that I was anticipating the fireworks, and my heart began to pick up its pace a little. The tense classical music at the moment wasn't helping much either. It slowed a little, and then came the drums and the familiar fanfare the let me know the 1812 Overture was beginning. My heart pounded in my chest to the point that Claire turned around and looked at me questioningly. The music changed to the tense anticipation and I almost believed I was going to pass out. Claire smiled and turned her attention back to the harbor.

The music shifted to the flowing part of the piece and the fireworks began. A voice in the crowd near us said, "The cannons are coming!" I gripped the velvet box in my pocket, and pulled it out to have it ready. I deftly opened the box with my thumb, still hiding the box to the left behind my leg.

Claire was fully immersed in the music and fireworks with a look of excitement and awe on her face. The music changed tempo again to the rapid strains the brought the song to its climax. My heart seemed to be pounding at ten times the speed of the music, and I believe if it weren't for my body's extra abilities, I might have had a heart attack from the speed it was racing. I brought the ring forward and placed it where it could be in Claire's line of sight, and said, "Claire, you have been my entire reason for living for years. I love you. Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"

I felt her nodding her head emphatically before I heard her answer a soft, "Of course!" I quickly slipped the ring on her finger just as the song ended and the crowd erupted into cheers. I swiftly turned her around and kissed her with as much passion as was allowed in a public location. Several people around us noticed and congratulated us in a spirit of celebration.

As we walked back to the ferry, we both seemed to be spellbound by the moment. Riding the ferry back across the Juan de Fuca Straight, we stood at the front of the ship again basking in the moist air flowing around us. I was able to circle Claire in my arms enough to keep her warm and safe. It felt like the perfect beginning to the next stage of our lives together.


	30. Chapter 30 Fiancee

Chapter 30 Fiancee

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Claire will turn 17 on the 5****th**** Aug 2020, Quil is still physically 16, but his ID shows that he really turned 30 on 2 Feb 2020.**

Chapter 30 Fiancée

Claire stayed awake for the hour ride home on the ferry, but once we got into the truck and she was buckled in next to me she was dozing before we even left Port Angeles. It gave me a lot of time to reflect on the past fifteen years with Claire. I thought about little things like how she used to eat off my plate, to major things like her creativity and purity of spirit. I had more than an hour ride home to ponder these things. The amazing thing to me was that the more I thought about Claire, the more things I realized I loved about her.

By the time I got to her house, Claire seemed to be out for the night, and I was hyped up on what felt like pure adrenaline. I carried Claire from the truck to her house, and Daniel opened the door for me. "Do you want me to take her?" Daniel offered.

I shot him and incredulous look, "Uh, it would be easier for me to stand here and hold her just like this all night, than it would be for you to carry her from here to her bed."

"Are you saying I'm old?" Daniel asked with humor in his voice.

"Nope, you just don't have the super strength like I do," I responded lightly, with a quick smile in his direction.

"Ok, ok, enough with the macho man show. Let's get to the real reason we are awake," Sarah said impatiently. "Did you propose? Did you give her a ring?" Daniel and Sarah had obviously been waiting up for Claire. While they were trying not to be too obvious about it, so they wouldn't embarrass Claire, once they realized she was completely asleep, the pretense was gone.

"Yes I proposed, and yes I gave her a ring," I answered smugly. I nudged her left arm a little so her hand was now exposed.

"Oh, Quil, it's so beautiful!" Sarah exclaimed a little too loudly if she wanted Claire to remain asleep.

"How about I take Claire up to her room now, and she can tell you all about it in the morning? Just make sure to ask her about the 1812 Overture." I suggested to them with a wink.

"And the fireworks…" Claire mumbled with her eyes still closed.

"Oh, Honey, you're awake?" Sarah asked Claire excitedly.

"mmmppfff…who can sleep with all the excitement?" was Claire's mumbled response.

I was about to set down Claire and leave, but Daniel was adamant that I stay and give Sarah all the details she would need if she was going to sleep that night. So I sat down on the couch with Claire in my lap, while Sarah went and got brownies and ice cream from the kitchen, and served them to the four of us. Claire and I ended up running through the entire evening with them. They laughed and sighed at the appropriate places, and we sat around for a few moments each in our own thoughts for a bit.

"Can you believe the time has gone so quickly?" Sarah asked Daniel.

"Ok, now _you're_ the one making me feel old," Daniel teased lightly, before giving Sarah a quick kiss. It was really nice to be in a home so full of love and respect, and better yet to be included in that environment.

"Well, it's very late…" I said, getting up and putting my plate in the sink. "I'd better be heading out."

Claire came up to kiss me, and asked quietly, "So are you going running tonight? Or will I have to repeat myself a half dozen times tomorrow?"

I smiled and kissed her back before replying, "Oh, Claire, you'll have to repeat it so many more times than that tomorrow, it won't even be funny! But yes, I am going to go on a little run…I'm too excited to sleep," I finished with barely a whisper. I kissed her passionately one final time before quietly saying, "Good night," and heading out the door.

I decided to drive home first and then run; that way I could run home and crash when I was too tired to do anything else without having to worry about my truck. With that plan in mind, I went to my truck, and was basking in the warm afterglow of spending the day with Claire. I looked over at the empty passenger seat, and thought of her. _How many times had Claire sat next to me in that seat like she had today? _I let my thoughts wander as I drove my truck just past the store, going north a bit to my house. _My house, more like my mom's house, soon I'm gonna have a house with Claire._ I got out of my truck and shook my head in amazement at that thought. _A house with Claire…holy crap, I did it! I actually proposed! I'm engaged!_

My thoughts suddenly got the adrenaline pumping again, and I could barely get to the woods and strip my clothes off before phasing due to my excitement. My mind was such a blur of the day's events that I hardly knew in which direction I was headed. I looked up to see the Dollhouse, apparently I had headed there instinctually when thinking about Claire. I began to reminisce over the past ten years or so when suddenly I was aware of others' minds in my consciousness.

_Ugh, we've already heard all this before, think about what happened today!_ Leah's thoughts demanded.

_We, who all is on patrol right now?_ I thought, wondering, _How many had heard my sappy reverie?_

_Oh, we all heard it_, Jacob informed me.

_Yup,_ thought Seth.

_Got every bit of it sweet cakes,_ Embry teased.

I mentally groaned. _I am so glad there are only five in our pack right now! _

_Yeah, whatever, just get to what happened today_, Leah's thoughts were the most demanding. _Hey, your thoughts would be a little cranky too if you had been awake for more than forty hours,_ she defended.

_So did you fake her out again? Did she fall for it?_ Embry was aching to know. His thoughts betrayed a bet he had made.

I thought through our time near Crescent Lake and they all began laughing. Embry was congratulating himself on winning his bet. They just about all fell over laughing when I thought about Claire's facial expression when we reached the Jack in the Box. I continued on through the ferry and our time in Victoria. When I finished up with the proposal, the background music and the fireworks, I could tell they were all impressed.

_Embry, that's so much better than the way you proposed,_ Seth commented.

_Yeah, well, if I had fourteen years to plan something, mine would have been better,_ he defended.

_No, it wouldn't have been any different, because you are too impatient,_ Jacob added.

_Yeah, good thing I didn't have to wait for my imprint to grow up,_ Embry bragged resulting in growls that were slightly jealous from Jacob and me.

My thoughts turned back to Claire growing up, and I heard a mutual groan across the pack. _Well, I guess that's my cue to head off to my house and get some rest._ I thought as I stood up and began to run towards my house. _See you all on the flip side, I'm out!_ I called in my thoughts before phasing back and pulling on my pants. I was suddenly quite mellow and ready for some serious sleep. It had been a long emotionally exciting, yet draining, day.

I woke in the morning and my first thought was, I am engaged to Claire! My heart rate instantly rose resulting in me being wide awake immediately. I thought through the activities of the day. I had taken Monday off, and Wednesday was Claire's birthday, so today would be packed. I had to finish up a website for a client, take my turn on patrol for the pack, and hopefully find time to work on the house, and spend time with Claire.

I ran my fingers through my short hair and took a deep breath to ease the stress of the upcoming day. I glanced over at the clock and noticed the time. I was pleased to see it was only half past five, not quite dawn yet. I turned on my laptop then jumped into the shower and spent as little time as possible to get myself clean before hopping out and throwing on a pair of sweats that Claire had sewn into a pair of shorts for me. _Ah, Claire,_ I shook my head to snap out of my stupor at the thought of Claire. I turned to my laptop and began to work as quickly as possible in order to try and get most of it done before I could be interrupted.

I had been working a while, and my stomach began to rumble from hunger. I tried to think of anything we might have on hand that would be easy to grab and eat when I heard my mom's voice and the smell of omelets and pancakes. I figured she would call me when she was ready for me to eat, so I tried to race and get the next step of my work done before she called to me. I was surprised to hear footsteps nearing my room, and the unmistakable smell of bacon getting closer. There was a knock on my door, and it started to open without waiting for my response.

"Good morning."

I whipped my head around to see Claire holding a massive platter full of food and two forks. "Claire! What a surprise! How is my gorgeous fiancée today?" I got up and went to her taking the platter and giving her a soft gentle kiss.

"I'm excellent, my fiancée," she responded with a smile and came to sit next to me in the middle of my bed, and handed me a fork.

"So, could you hear my stomach rumbling all the way from your house?" I asked before taking a pancake in a single bite.

Claire laughed and answered, "No, I just know what my man likes, and how to take care of him." She gave me a quick wink before taking a normal size bite of an omelet.

Her answer made my heart swell in my chest to the point I felt it might burst free of my chest cavity! I couldn't help it; I leaned over and kissed her with enthusiasm. Her mouth moved awkwardly against mine, and I tasted omelet. I remembered she was still chewing and sat up. I then suddenly realized that I had leaned across side of the platter and now had sticky pancake syrup all over my abdomen. I glanced down to survey the damage and heard Claire make a sound that was half way between a moan and a sigh. I looked at Claire to see her eyes hooded, looking at my abs like she was ready to lick me clean. Just the thought of Claire's tongue running up my torso sent shivers down my spine. She leaned in towards me and I used my werewolf speed to race past her and head into the bathroom.

I got into the bathroom and shut the door behind me, leaning against it and taking deep breaths to calm my body's reaction to the situation. I grabbed a washcloth and cleaned up the mess, wishing the entire time that it was a year from now, and that we were married. _Maybe I'd have to remember the syrup thing for later…calm, calm…deep breaths._ I leaned against the door, and let my head bang lightly against it. This would be a long year, I could tell.

I went back into my room, grabbed a T-shirt, and quickly put it on to avoid further temptation of the same variety. I sat back down on the bed and picked up the platter. I glanced over to Claire, only to notice that she was still frozen in place and looked rather sad, maybe even ashamed. "Claire, what's wrong? You look upset."

"Why did you run out of here so fast?" Claire returned my question with one of her own without looking up from her hands twisting in her lap.

I paused for a moment, and considered how I should answer that. I decided honesty would be the best, and so I said, "Because it looked like you were going to lick the syrup off of me." I smiled at her before adding, "Now while I plan to make a note to remember to bring syrup on our honeymoon, you are too irresistible for me to be having you lick my abdomen before then. There is no way I could have you do that and still keep all the rules until the wedding day!"

Claire lifted her head partially to look at me from beneath her lashes and gave me a seductive smirk. Shivers ran visibly down her spine before she asked, "So, for our honeymoon, should you be in charge of remembering syrup or should I?" She then ran her finger through the syrup on the plate and slowly sucked it off her finger.

All of the blood that had been occupying my brain at that point suddenly decided to relocate to other regions in my body, and I was left completely stunned and without the ability to form a coherent sentence.

Claire started giggling uncontrollably and gasped, "This is one of those 'ear things' isn't it?" before bursting into another fit of giggles.

Her giggles reminded me more of the young cute friend I had spent years with than the seductive fiancée that was new to me. It allowed me to begin to form words. "Claire, you have no idea the kinds of things you are doing to me today," I confirmed.

"Should I go eat with your mom instead?" she teased, and made an attempt to get up.

"No, stay, I have a really busy day today, and I want to spend breakfast with you, especially since you took the time to make such a great one!" I complimented. I began to eat in earnest, and it wasn't long before the food was eaten. "Once again, Claire, you out did your self! That was amazing! I am the luckiest man on the planet to get to marry you," I said before leaning over to give her a quick kiss of gratitude.

"Thanks, so, are you_ really_ busy today?" Claire asked in a tone that seemed a bit like she had something on her mind.

"I actually am pretty busy today. I have to finish up this website, run patrol, and build you a house," I answered.

Claire was looking intently at my carpet, but gave a small smile when I mentioned the house. A quiet, "Okay," was her only response.

I obviously knew something was wrong. "Claire, what is the matter?" I asked, hoping it would be something I could help her to fix.

"I haven't talked with Willow in more than a week. I know I should tell her about yesterday, but with the way things have been between us since she got pregnant, I'm not sure she'd be happy for me. I'm also afraid that she might not come to my party tomorrow," Claire stated sadly.

I set the platter to the side, scooped Claire into an all consuming hug and pulled her onto my lap. "I know it's difficult that your lives are starting to take such different paths right now, but she has been your best friend for years now. If you were to tell someone else about our engagement before her, she would be really disappointed, even if right now she might not want to hear it."

Claire nodded and leaned against my chest. "You're right, I know that. I just wish you had the time to come with me so it would be easier."

I laughed and ruffled her hair. "It would only be easier for the first few minutes. Then it would turn to girl talk, and I would just be in the way."

She looked slyly up at me with her wide tight lipped smile that showed her dimples the best. "So, couldn't you just spare a few minutes then, you know, to get things rolling?" she pleaded sweetly.

I chuckled at her attempt to get her way using her feminine wiles. "Nope, sorry, you are going to have to do this all on your own," I insisted. I then picked her up and placed her on her feet before handing her the empty platter and flatware. "Thanks for breakfast Claire. Have fun talking to Willow today!" I said enthusiastically before giving her a little pat on the backside and turning to my laptop.

Claire jumped at my action, and I could see her stick her tongue out at me in my peripheral vision.

I couldn't help but chuckle again and said, "I love you too sweetheart!" without even turning from my monitor.

I heard Claire sigh before she came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "I love you," she mumbled a little begrudgingly before leaving me to my work.

I snickered at her reaction, and then sighed in satisfaction at my wonderful life and the amazing things ahead for the two of us.

It took me most of the morning to complete the website design, and I was able to email the links for the client to approve the layout with a full thirty minutes to spare before I needed to be on patrol. I grabbed the phone and went to the kitchen to get some lunch. I dialed Claire's number as I made a stack of peanut butter and banana sandwiches for myself. Instead of answering, her phone went to voicemail. I was hoping that was a good sign, because I would be much harder to get a hold of over the next six hours on patrol. I finished my sandwiches and headed out, jogging over to our pack's boundary line before phasing.

Renesmee and Jacob tended to attract a bit of attention, especially after that big showdown with all the bloodsuckers just after Embry and I joined Jacob's pack. They always seemed to be having some vampire or other coming around checking in on them, or trying to sneak a peek at the half-vamp and werewolf couple. Most of the bloodsuckers didn't keep to animals, so we had to keep a pretty close eye on things. Even with the increased need though, we had a great alarm system, so only one of us needed to run the patrol, and the others were mostly just on alert as needed.

It was usually wonderfully peaceful on patrol with Jacob's pack, because you could be in wolf form, and not need to listen to anyone else's thoughts. Today however was the exception. Embry and Seth had decided to try and finish the roof of the house for Claire's birthday, and they seemed to be taking turns phasing every fifteen to twenty minutes with some lame question or other about the house that could only be answered by looking at the blueprints they had with them. Needless to say it was not as relaxing as normal. Four hours into their game I finally caught Embry thinking of a bet they had where they could catch me thinking dirty thoughts about Claire. Fortunately the one time they had caught me thinking of syrup, I had been picturing purchasing it at the store, not how I would be using it.

My patrol finally ended, and I headed to Claire's. Frankly, I had had enough of Embry and Seth's innuendos and interruptions to last me for days, so the house could wait for my help until a different time.

I knocked on the door, and Marc answered. "So, you're going to marry my sister, huh?" Marc asked looking a little skeptical.

"Yup," I leaned down and mussed his hair, "You and I are going to be brothers."

Marc's eyes suddenly widened, "I never even thought of that! Sweet, so does that mean you'll beat up kids for me?"

I was constantly amazed at how his mind worked. "I'm not going to randomly go around beating up people like your own personal hit man, but if you need some help with something that is a little much for you to handle, just let me know," I assured him. "Hey, where is Claire?"

"She's in her room," he answered. I began to head towards her room when he added, "Willow is with her too."

That stopped me in my tracks. I turned to Marc, "Will you go tell her that I'm here?"

He rolled his eyes at me and muttered, "Chicken" under his breath. A minute later he was back with Willow and Claire.

Willow's eyes were slightly reddened from crying, and Claire looked a little miffed. Claire began speaking as soon as they could see me. "Quil, maybe you can help with something. You used to…work…with Brady, right?" she asked in a pointed and direct manner that was almost out of character for her. She was obviously on the warpath.

"Uh…yeah?" I answered more as a question. I had no idea what they were up to, but it was making me rather nervous.

Claire looked over at Marc who was pretending to set up for playing video games, but was clearly taking too long. She scrunched her mouth to the side and took a deep breath before saying, "Well, maybe you could help us get a message to him. Willow has been trying to contact him…for two months," she looked pointedly at Willow's stomach, "And he won't take her calls."

It clicked, it was clear that Brady was the father and they needed my help. I nodded my understanding in their direction. Then I looked at Marc who was supposedly trying to figure out how where to attach the power cord to the video game. I rolled my eyes. That boy had set up and played that video game so many times, he could do it in his sleep! We clearly wouldn't have any privacy here. "Hey, it's been a while since you girls have spent time together, why don't I take you out for dinner in Port Angeles? Claire, why don't you girls go get all fancy, and I'll be back to pick you up in fifteen or twenty minutes. Does that sound good?" I asked. I looked over at Marc and noticed his shoulders droop. I let out a little chuckle at his disappointment.

Willow looked slightly hopeful, and Claire was quite pleased that I would be helping. She ran to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek, and walked with me out to my truck. "Thanks, she's just been trying to tell him, and Brady just ignores her calls. He has left a couple of voice mails for Willow, while she's not at home, saying crap about her not being 'the one' for him, so to just leave him alone. She hasn't wanted to tell him she's pregnant over the phone, and I don't want a big scene tomorrow," she whispered in my ear. Her breath tickled my ear, and I was a little dazed.

"I'll take care of it, and be back to pick you up right away," I whispered back, kissing her earlobe as I finished. She turned around looking a little dizzy and giggling as she headed into the house to get ready.

When I got to Sam's a couple of minutes later, I was still wondering how I could approach Brady without him phasing and trying to rip me to shreds. I wanted a date tonight, not a fight. I thought that maybe Brady could double with us, but I didn't want him phasing in front of Willow and hurting her. Sam was out in his driveway looking ready to head into the woods.

"Quil, hey man, what are you doing here?" Sam asked as I got out of my truck.

"I needed your advice on something," I began.

He walked a bit closer and said, "Shoot, what's on your mind?"

"Well…What should someone do if they got a girl pregnant who wasn't their imprint?" I asked slowly, trying to figure out if I should tell Sam about Brady's baby before Brady knew.

"WHAT?" Sam yelled. I whipped my head up to see him vibrating like a tuning fork. I immediately realized the incorrect assumption he had jumped to and began to defend myself.

"Ahh, NOT ME! I would never cheat on Claire, I couldn't! You know I couldn't cheat on Claire, we just got engaged!" I retreated, but Sam still advanced, and he herded me backwards towards the forest. "Sam, listen to me. I didn't cheat on Claire! BRADY GOT WILLOW PREGNANT!" I yelled as Sam dropped his shirt to the ground as he prepared to phase.

Sam instantly stopped vibrating, and I heard multiple gasps behind me. I turned around to see Brady, Collin, and Jared.

I put my face in my hands and took a deep breath before I looked up at Brady. "Brady, sorry about that, but if you aren't going to answer your phone; sometimes you're going to have to deal with the consequences."

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Jared teased, as he smacked a dumbfounded Brady on the back of the head. Jared continued on past a stunned Sam and casually asked, "Do Kim and Emily have dinner ready yet? I'm starving!"

Sam snapped out of his stupor and answered, "Yeah, I was just headed out to let you guys know." He turned to me and said, "Sorry about almost ripping you to shreds, just the way you asked that question…" Sam shuddered as his voice trailed off.

"No problem, I understand." I turned to Brady and said, "You have been ignoring your mess long enough. I'm taking you to your place to change then we are picking up Willow and Claire and going to dinner. Get in the truck."

"I'm not going to start dating her, she's not my imprint," Brady said snidely and began to walk past me towards Sam's house.

"If you are willing to have sex with someone who isn't your imprint, you can sit across from them at McDonald's and eat a Big Mac. Now go with Quil, that's an order," Sam said instructed in his alpha voice.

Brady took a deep breath and then slowly turned around and stomped towards my truck. I looked at him and said, "Your clothes are muddy, ride in the back."

This was going to be a long night.


	31. Chapter 31 Fathead

Chapter 31

**Thanks to Twinsmom & Melissaturkey for the beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 31 – Fathead

"Brady, what is wrong with you?" I asked him, frustrated, and still a bit put out at having been threatened as a result of his stupidity.

"I'm just out for some fun. What has you so convinced that Willow is pregnant, and I'm the father?" He stated defensively.

"Are you serious?" I practically growled at Brady. "Apparently, I know Willow a lot better than you do, and know she isn't the type of girl to make up this kind of story and up-chuck for the fun of it."

Brady rolled his eyes and looked out the window of the truck, "Whatever, I'm only here because Sam ordered me to be here. Even if she is pregnant, and the kid is mine, she still isn't my soul mate, my imprint."

"Then why on earth did you have sex with her?" I asked him dumbfounded at his apparent callousness.

"What? Like I should live like a monk just because I haven't imprinted? Do you have any idea the kinds of thoughts Jared and Sam think on patrol? No matter how much they try to hide it, it still seeps through. Don't even get me started on Paul! I spent years watching stuff in their heads before I was even old enough to pay to see that kind of movie in the theaters!" Brady said trying to excuse his behavior.

"Brady, even though I'm not in your pack any more, I am still a werewolf. Have you forgotten that Jacob and Embry are both married? I also was in the pack with Paul when he imprinted, and so I've seen it too." I stopped and took a deep breath. "I have an imprint that I am engaged to. I have the thoughts of two married pack members, and can hear vampires practically all night as I patrol near the Cullens, and I'm still able to have some kind of moral restraint. You hardly have an excuse," I spat out in disgust.

I took a deep breath and decided to switch tactics and asked Brady, "Do you remember the story of the third wife?"

He seemed taken aback by my change of direction. "Yeah," he answered almost as a question.

"Why do you think it's the story of the _third_ wife?" I asked him.

He was completely lost and clueless, and asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Taha Aki had three wives. Three, because the first two were not his imprints, and they lived full lives then died. He lived the span of three old men's lives, and out lived two wives. You all tease me for imprinting on a two year old. You tease me because I had to wait for her to grow up. Well guess what? Claire is grown up, we are engaged, and a year from now we will be married. And you are still waiting. Who knows, maybe you will even have to wait a hundred years for your imprint," I finished.

"Holy crap," Brady exclaimed with a look of total shock on his face, the hard edges began to soften as he contemplated what I said. "I never even thought about Taha Aki's story from that point of view," Brady said thoughtfully. For the first time that evening I felt like I was finally breaking through his thick skull.

"Yeah, my imprint situation doesn't look so bad now, does it?" I said in a more moderate tone.

Brady looked over at me, his defensive mask now completely gone. "No, not really," he admitted.

"So, are you going to go around impregnating girls and leaving them stranded without even a return phone call for the rest of eternity? Or are you going to man up and take care of the situation you caused?" I asked him directly.

"I can't marry Willow, what if I imprint? I would totally fail her," Brady said with a tone that told of his inner conflict.

"Brady, you have more options than just marriage or no contact at all. Let me tell you, getting Willow pregnant, and then completely ignoring her, is the definition of failing her," I tried to persuade him.

"Mmm," was his only response.

I took a deep breath and continued. "What's the divorce rate? Look at the majority of the reservation, heck the nation. Imprinting is by far the exception. I'd say your odds of getting married and screwing it up on your own are way better than the likelihood that you would marry someone, and then imprint on someone else," I said sardonically.

"Thanks for your confidence in me," he replied sarcastically.

"Brady, you haven't given me any reason to trust you or have confidence in you. Relationships are hard work, and even with imprinting, not everything always goes smoothly. Look at Sam and Emily. Imprinting just helps you want to make it work more. Besides, imprinting for you is still a theory that may or may not happen some day. The reality of the situation is that you have gotten Willow pregnant. I think you need to take the opportunity tonight to look at it this way. If you knew for sure that you would not imprint in the next hundred years, would you want a relationship with Willow?"

"I…" Brady began to speak and I interrupted him.

"Don't tell me what you feel now, that has been clouded by months of being a jerk to Willow."

"No, I want to say this," He stopped me. "You aren't in my pack, so you haven't heard, but I've actually had a crush on Willow for more than two years now. I've practically stalked her to find out her schedule so that I can just happen to be at the beach the same time she is there. I've also started grocery shopping at the Thriftway just so I can run into her at the store. She hasn't ever been freaked out by me because of you."

"Me? Why would I have anything to do with it?" I asked.

"Claire is Willow's best friend, so Willow has grown up with you too. She isn't freaked out by the heat, or the height, or the not really aging thing. About three months ago I was on patrol near the beach and heard some girls squealing. I wasn't sure if they were ok or not, so I phased and went to go check it out. Apparently a bunch of kids from Forks were having a bonfire, and some of the local girls had joined them. I'm not sure what they had all been doing before I got there, but most of the kids looked at least a little drunk, and the local girls looked completely wasted. It was almost like they had been given drugs, not just alcohol," Brady told me.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, I told everyone to break it up and go home. Most of the local girls recognized me as being part of the protectors, and started to leave. But Willow came directly up to me and started putting her hands all over me asking me to go for a walk on the beach with her. I kept trying to tell myself that she wasn't my imprint and that she was wasted," Brady paused and hung his head. "I just…"

He took a deep breath and let it out with a huge sigh. He looked right at me and continued, "Two years! I had a crush on her for two years! And there she was all over me. How was I supposed to tell her no?"

"Seriously? You're asking_ me_ this?" I asked incredulously.

"Sorry, I apparently don't have your never fail will power," Brady said sarcastically. "Plus, Willow isn't one of those girls constantly trying to please her parents like Claire. She was pulling off her clothes as soon as we hit the edge of the forest. Willow told me her mom had gotten her condoms because she had told her mom she wanted to have sex…with me."

"Did you actually use the condom?" I asked ruefully.

"Umm, the first time," Brady answered quietly.

"So you…" I began, "You know what, I don't need to know," I reconsidered.

My phone buzzed with a text message from Claire, _We R ready R U? luv C_

_15 min more - have Brady – B there soon, luv Q_ I returned in answer.

"Go on," I encouraged Brady.

"Anyway, that night I took her home and snuck her into her room so her parents wouldn't find out she'd been drinking. The next day I go over to her house to ask her if she wants to go to the beach, and she looks at me like she has no idea why I'd be at her house talking to her. She said she wasn't feeling well, and was going to just hang out and watch TV. I ask her if she'd like some company, and she looked at me like I had two heads. She blew me off with some lame excuse, and then shut the door on me and latched the deadbolt! She acted like nothing happened at all. Then like a month later she starts calling me out of the blue leaving all these cryptic voicemails. Stuff like 'We need to discuss our relationship' and 'We have something we need to work out in person' and stuff. How was I supposed to respond to that? She totally acts like nothing happened, and then suddenly we have a relationship?" Brady paused and looked at me.

"Brady, you mentioned that all the local girls were wasted. That included Willow, right? Has occurred to you that someone might have slipped her a date rape drug, and she really couldn't remember what happened that night? That possibly she blew you off in the morning, because she didn't remember anything from the night before? That maybe the only reason she knew to call _you_ was because you showed up at her house that one day out of the blue, and the timing matched?" I suggested.

I watched Brady's face as it went from confusion, to consideration, to regret. "Oh crap, I've been a total jerk!"

I slapped him on the back, "By Jove, I think he's got it!"

I glanced at my watch, then looked him up and looked him up and down. "We still have about ten more minutes, how about you come inside and wash up and change into something dressier and less covered in mud." We had been standing and talking in my driveway, and I led him into my mom's house. "Even though Sam said McDonald's, we should go somewhere nicer than that. If you're going to win Willow over, you'll need a nicer atmosphere than McDonalds." I pulled out some long pants and a button down shirt both Brady and me. We quickly got changed, modesty having gone out the window mere hours after becoming werewolves.

Brady washed up, and had one pant leg on before he stopped and said, "Wait. Win her over? What are you talking about?"

"Uh, let's see, the girl you've had a crush on for two years suddenly is pregnant with your child, yet you've been treating her like a leper for two months and she has no idea why…and you have to ask why you should work to win her over? This night is going to be longer than I thought," I exclaimed.

With that, Brady just looked down embarrassed and got dressed at lightning speed.

"Come on. Let's go take the girls out to dinner. You need to be just as honest with her as you have been with me. Willow probably won't have remembered any of it. As you're talking, watch and listen to Willow. Pay attention to her, feelings of both of you this evening. Then we can all talk more after dinner."

I headed for the car. "Come on, we need to take the car," I told Brady and pointed towards Claire's car. He walked over to it and got in and I drove to Claire's house to pick up the girls for dinner.

We pulled up in the driveway and I heard his heart rate pick up. I glanced over to see him shaking a little bit. "Brady!" He looked over at me in a half panic, "You will _not _endanger my Claire tonight! Is that understood?"

"What?" Brady asked looking down at his shaking body with surprise. "Oh, crap. Sorry," he apologized as he tried to get some measure of control.

"Brady, change of plans. Go to the back yard, you'll find my scent really strong towards the center, and about 20 feet into the woods. Take off my clothes, and stand there to wait for my signal. I will bring Willow and Claire back here and tell them what you told me. You'll be close enough to hear everything, but that way if you accidentally phase, you won't hurt anyone. Got it?" I checked.

"Are you _sure_ telling her the truth is a good idea?" he asked.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying the truth will set you free? Trust me. It can't get any worse than it is. Now go to where I said, and don't get tree sap on my nice clothes," I warned.

"Fine," he muttered and went to the spot in the woods where he could be obscured, still hear, and be at a safe distance in case he phased.

I went to the front door and was met by Claire and Willow looking much better, than they had half an hour ago. "Hey, slight change of plans. Let's go to the back yard and talk," I suggested.

"Quil, what's going on?" Claire asked. "I thought Brady was going to be here."

"He is here. Let's go into the back yard and sit down," I suggested as I led the girls to the resin chairs in the back yard.

We got into the backyard, and the girls looked around for Brady. "Where is he?" Claire asked.

"He's a bit shaky because he's nervous, but he's where he can hear us," I informed them.

"He's nervous?" Willow practically shouted. "He's been avoiding my calls, and giving me crap… tell the big chicken…"

"Willow," Claire cut her off. "Do you remember how we were discussing how some things are just different with guys like Quil and Brady? Trust Quil, please. He knows what is best in this situation. Let's hear him out."

"Fine, but I still think he's a **coward**," she said yelling coward towards the direction of the woods.

"Willow, I know you are angry. And trust me, you have every right to be for the way Brady has been ignoring your calls for the last two months," I started. "But do you have any idea how long Brady has had a crush on you? Two years."

"What?" Both the girls said in unison. I heard a choking sound from the forest that I'm sure the girls couldn't hear.

"Why do you think you kept seeing him at the beach, and the store in Forks?" I asked

"He was stalking me?" Willow asked.

"No, he would just find out when you were going to be in a public place, and casually show up to meet you there to get to know you better. Willow, do you remember the night you got pregnant?" I asked her.

"Well, umm…" Willow hesitated and looked over at Claire, and then down to the ground. We waited for her to say something, but she just hesitated.

Claire put he hand on Willow's shoulder. "It's ok, you can tell us," Claire reassured her.

Willow broke down crying, "That's the problem, I can't remember!"

Claire gasped and looked at me with a shocked expression.

I walked to the other side of Willow, and also rested a hand on her shoulder. "Willow, how about I tell you what I heard from Brady and see if any of it rings a bell, does that sound good?" I suggested.

"Why can't Brady just tell me himself?" Willow asked still crying.

"I can," Brady said as he came out of the edge of the woods into Claire's backyard wearing only his boxers.

Claire looked up at the sound of his voice and gasped before she began to giggle. Willow glanced up at Claire, and then in the direction of Brady's voice. She saw how he was dressed and her eyes grew wide with shock before looking down immediately in embarrassment.

"Sorry about the clothes, I was borrowing Quil's and he threatened me if I messed them up," he explained as he began to walk towards us.

"Brady, stay where you are, we can hear you just fine from there. Besides, Claire and Willow don't need a better view of you in your skivvies," I said in a warning tone.

"Sure, no problem, Quil." He turned his attention towards Willow, and his voice became more gentle, almost soft. "Willow, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize until tonight that you didn't remember that night on the beach," Brady began.

"What, is that somehow supposed to excuse you from rejecting me for two months?" Willow spat out still looking at the ground.

Brady's voice instantly became defensive, "You rejected me first. I went to go spend time with you, and you shut the door in my face and dead bolted the door."

"Well, how was I supposed to know you had taken advantage of me?" Willow asked accusingly, looking up to glare at Brady.

I could see Brady beginning to shake a bit, so I decided to diffuse the situation. "Brady, calm down, and take a step back. Willow, do you remember a bonfire with a bunch of teens from Forks that night on the beach?"

"What does that party have to do with anything?" Willow asked.

"Everything!" Brady called out before I could answer. "I was going there to check out the party for my…security job…and everyone was drunk. I asked the local girls to go home, and _you_ came up to _me_ and were suddenly all over me like white on rice."

Willow stood up and started heading towards Brady. I put a restraining hand on her shoulder. She shook it off and kept walking straight to Brady.

I turned to Claire and said, "Claire, could you please go inside?"

She looked at me like I had lost my mind and whispered, "Quil, my pregnant best friend just walked up to an angry werewolf, I'm _not_ going inside."

We looked over to see Willow pushing Brady's rock hard, muscular stomach.

"See, even now, your first instinct when you see me with my shirt off is to put your hands on me," Brady taunted.

"You took advantage of me when I was obviously so drunk I couldn't even remember. Was I even able to walk, or do you prefer to treat real girls like your blow up dolls?" The entire time Willow had her hands on Brady's stomach and it looked like she tried to push him to emphasize each sentence, but Brady wasn't moving an inch.

"You appeared to be just a little wasted. You were walking with that sexy strut you always like to do to show off your…assets." He looked her up and down while saying that. He grabbed her hands and moved them up and down his naked chest "You were running your hands up and down me like this, and saying things like 'Brady, you're so hot, how come you won't ever be my boyfriend? Claire gets to have a hot boyfriend, why can't I have you? Don't you want me?' Do you remember that, Willow?"

Willow looked taken aback, "I…you…You're making that up, I would never say something like that…out…loud. Her voice kind of died off at the end.

Brady made a sudden move and I stepped forward to respond, but Claire's hand on my arm made me hesitate for a second. I looked back at Claire, questioning her action, and she nodded in the direction of Brady and Willow. I turned back to see Brady sweep Willow up in his arms and kiss her with enough passion that I was a little uncomfortable having to be there to witness it.

"Alright then," Claire said in a loud clear voice that made Brady and Willow stop kissing, and realize other people in the world still existed. "Brady, you've had a crush on Willow for two years, Willow, you've had a crush on Brady for four years." Willow let out a gasp, and Brady chuckled. "And I've been hungry for hours! Brady, go get Quil's clothes on, and let's go get some food!" Claire finished her no nonsense rant and swiftly turned in the direction of the car. Half way to the car Claire called over her shoulder, "Oh, and Brady, if you don't hurry up, I'm going to drive, and you'll have to sit in the back with Quil!"

I was glad that Brady raced and got dressed. He had clothes on and had Willow in his arms running to the car in less time then it took Claire to march around to the front of the house. I opened the passenger side door for her and she smiled at me and kissed me as I stood holding the door for her. "I love you," I told her.

"I love you too, thanks so much for helping out Willow tonight," Claire answered back.

"Anything for you, Claire," I whispered in her ear. I helped her into the car and started the drive to Post Angeles.

It was nice to have the long drive so that we had time to talk. Once Brady and Willow both realized that they liked each other, and that neither one was rejecting the other, the walls came down and the entire story of what happened that night and the next morning was able to be told without anyone getting too upset. I was amazed that Willow liked Brady so much, and Claire was amazed that Brady liked Willow as much as he did.

We got a few pizzas at Gordy's and Willow got to see the quantity of food Brady and I could eat, and the speed at which we consumed it. I have to admit, she took it pretty well for a first timer. Brady offered to get some dessert. He and Willow went up to the front of the restaurant to go buy something which gave Claire and me some time to talk.

"So, Brady didn't imprint on Willow, right?" Claire whispered to me after checking over her shoulders to make sure others were out of hearing range. "I mean, they don't have that glazed over look, but they both seem to be pretty attracted to each other."

"Nah, he didn't imprint. That hands-on action is just the regular kind of hormones and attraction," I said with a slight shake of my head.

"So how would that work if he were to imprint?" Claire asked in a whisper.

"Kind of like how the last two months went for them, I suppose," I said with a shrug. "I talked to him about it, and he's pretty freaked out over it, but he's gone fourteen years with nothing happening, so who's to say he won't go another eighty?"

With that thought Claire's eyes got wide. "So Willow could be like seventy, and he'd still look like he does now?" she whispered in shock. I nodded, and she paused for a moment looking contemplative before her eyes grew wide in horror and she asked, "You're not going to do that to me are you?"

I smiled back at her and said, "Nope, I've found my true one and only." I leaned over to kiss her, and just as it was getting good, Brady and Willow got back. I looked up at Brady and said, "Hey, Claire and I have an early day tomorrow. Since those brownies are all wrapped up to go, what do you say we eat them on the way home?"

"Sure, no problem," Brady replied. He put his hand on Willow's back and guided her to the car, as Claire and I followed behind.

Brady and Willow sat in the back seat and Claire sat in the front with me. I decided to see if they had used their alone time to their advantage. "So…have you two made any decisions of where to take things from here?" I didn't hear a response, so looked in the rearview mirror and saw Brady doing something that looked quite a bit like licking bits of brownie off of Willow's lips and tongue. "Brady? Willow?" They totally ignored me.

Claire turned around in her seat and let out a small gasp before quickly turning and facing the front of the car. "It's a good thing she's already pregnant, or she might be by the time we get back home," Claire muttered under her breath to me.

"Yeah, sure looks like they aren't ignoring each other any more," I added.

"Next time, they drive, and we eat the brownies," Claire muttered sourly.

"Deal," I agreed without a moment's hesitation.


	32. Chapter 32 Seventeen

Chapter 32 - Seventeen

**Thanks to MissGriffin & OurSong for the beta work on this chapter!**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 32 - Seventeen

I woke up with my alarm at four-thirty in the morning, and was glad that being a werewolf left me able to run on far less sleep than normal. By the time I had dropped off Brady, Willow, and Claire after our emotionally taxing evening it was close to midnight. Four and a half hours of sleep would have to do. I grabbed a quick shower and made sure not to use a powerful scent. Claire would be nuzzling into my neck as she rode me in my wolf form, and she preferred my scent to any cologne. I threw on a T-shirt and shorts, and jogged to the forest to run to Claire's house.

When I arrived at Claire's house, I was surprised to find her waiting for me in the backyard. "Excited today, Birthday Girl?" I teased.

Claire held out her left hand and wiggled her fingers to make her diamond ring sparkle. "First of all, I'm now officially older than you, and engaged. You will now please refer to me as a woman, not a girl," she said in her most prim and proper voice, the one she usually reserved for giving me tasks when she played princess.

I swept my eyes slowly over her form, then paused slightly before saying, "Mmm, you're right, definitely a woman!"

Claire got a cute sexy smile on her face that showed her dimples, and I couldn't help but kiss her. I pulled Claire close to me then lifted her up until her lips met mine. I kissed her slowly at first as I turned with her and walked into the woods a short distance to phase. I broke the kiss and left her in a slight daze as I stepped a few more yards into the woods and behind a tree to phase.

I quickly pulled off my clothes and thought it was odd that I could so clearly hear Claire's heartbeat. I bent over and attached my clothes to the leather cord on my leg and distinctly heard Claire's heartbeat quicken its pace. I whipped my head around to see if she was watching me, but I didn't see her. I thought that maybe I had just become so attuned to the sound of Claire's heart, that I was hearing it above the other sounds.

I phased, and before I could take a full pace forward, Claire stepped out from behind the nearest tree. Had Claire watched me change out of my clothes? Everything seemed to hint that she had, and assuming she did, I really had only two options. I could phase back and confront her about it now, or I could ignore it for now, and we could go on her birthday run. I was tempted to phase back and forego the ride for today, but it was almost certain she would watch me phase back. I needed to calm my thoughts.

What on earth made me believe for a single second that having Claire straddling my back and nuzzling my neck would calm my thoughts was beyond me. _This girl is trying to kill me! _I thought. I then remembered what Claire had said about calling her a woman and not a girl. _Would this behavior seem out of line for another engaged couple? How could I answer that? Who else changed into a wolf but members of the packs here in La Push?_ I thought of Sam and Emily. They actually lived together before they were engaged, and I know for a fact that certain things they had done before marriage would make Claire watching me strip down before phasing seem like child's play. Embry wasn't even subtle in his mental bragging, and I know they had done more than kiss before they were engaged.

My thoughts were interrupted as Claire adjusted on my back so that she could lie down flat against my spine. She slowly wiggled back and forth snuggling in and adjusting herself so close to me that I could tell that she wasn't wearing anything with wires, straps, or clasps under her shirt this morning. How could I possibly calm down with those kinds of thoughts running through my head? I was so distracted that had been moving at a rather slow pace at that point. I felt a little like phasing back and scolding her for torturing me so much, when just then we came near to the clearing where our house was being built.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! I had asked Claire to marry me, and in just one year we would be a couple living together right there. I had asked her because I felt she was old enough and mature enough to make that kind of permanent life altering adult commitment, and here I was considering scolding her like a child. She was right, in one way, I had stopped aging at sixteen, and here she was seventeen. How could I scold her when she was acting her age? Even if it was impulsive and she might regret it later, she was just wanting to see her fiancée, how could I fault her for that?

I pulled through the trees so Claire could see the house, and she gasped. "You finished the roof?" Claire's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I gave her a single soft bark to indicate "Yes."

"Wow, you guys are doing an amazing job," she complimented in awe.

I nodded my head and indicated my agreement before I turned back to the forest to continue our run. Claire was introspective and quiet for the rest of the ride, not her usually chatty self. It really made me wonder what she was thinking.

On the way back to Claire's house I had determined a course of action. If she were to hop off my back quickly as I came to a stop, I would change as I normally did. If she were to hesitate, I'd phase right underneath her. Even the thought of it was making me nervous.

We got back near her house and I pulled onto a flat spot of ground and knelt down. I wasn't too surprised when she stayed where she was on my back, but my heart began to pound anyway from the nerves. It was the first time in years that I really had to concentrate to be able to phase back into my human form. It took me about five seconds but I phased back and was lying face down on the forest floor, completely naked. Claire hadn't moved, so she was now sitting on my bare back, her legs touching the ground.

"Quil!" she gasped, totally shocked by my actions. "What are you doing?" she asked shakily, and I could hear that her heart raced and she was struggling to breathe normally at my unprecedented action.

I bean to speak to her softly, "Claire, you said you wanted me to treat you like a woman and not a girl. A girl hides behind trees and might sneak a peek at what she wants. A woman is confident about what she wants and faces it head on. Since you were watching me change earlier, and didn't make a move to get down when we stopped, I can only guess that means you are interested in something more from our relationship, something of a physical nature?" I paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "Claire, I promised your parents certain things, and have tried to get you to agree with me on the promises I made. But you and I have our own relationship, one in which we need to decide for ourselves what we will and won't do. For me, I would rather have an open honest adult relationship with you, then to keep my word to your parents. If you need me to choose, I choose you Claire."

At first, Claire didn't say a word, and the entire forest seemed to hold its breath with me as I waited for Claire to respond. Then Claire placed her hands on my bare shoulder blades, and I gasped an intake of breath. I held that breath as she ran her hands slowly down my back carefully feeling each muscle beneath her fingertips. I had to ask myself if I was really ready for this. But, ready or not, Claire was my imprint and I knew I would do whatever she chose to make her happy.

When Claire's hands reached my waist, she used her hands to push herself up and off my back. "I'll let you change now…in private," she said in such a low voice it was almost a whisper. She walked a few steps away before stopping and saying, "I'll be at the edge of my yard. You can meet me there when you are ready."

I watched her walk away, and made sure she was out of sight before I got up and slipped my clothes on. I jogged out to where Claire was seated, facing her house, at the edge of her yard and silently sat down next to her on her left side and faced the same direction she was facing.

She turned her head slightly to the side, not really looking at me and asked, "Quil, are you going to tell my parents about this morning?"

I hesitated for just a moment before I took her left hand in both of my hands and gently lifted it to my lips. I kissed the engagement ring that I had placed on the third finger of her left hand. "Claire, this is about you and me. This is about the choices we make, and for our relationship to be healthy, these decisions need to be made between the two of us. It is not just about you, not just about me, and most definitely _not_ about your parents." I let go of her hand with my right hand and raised it to her chin, and turned her face towards mine so that she was looking at me. I could feel the pull between the two of us as I gazed into her eyes before I leaned in and kissed her firmly. I backed up slightly and still held her gaze as I asked her, "Claire, what do _you_ want?"

Claire looked a bit dazed as she answered, "Quil, when you kiss me like that, all I can think of is that I want you. You are supposed to be the one making sure that we keep all the rules."

I laughed at that. "Claire, I won't be your parent." I held up her left hand and pointed to her engagement ring. "This means that we agreed to be equals."

Claire surprised me even further at that point by throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me deeply as she ran her fingernails over m scalp through my short black hair. She pulled back, but slid her hands down to the back of my neck and rested her forehead on mine and said, "This is really happening isn't it? We're really engaged, and building a house. We're really going to be married in a year aren't we?"

I nodded my head against her forehead in agreement and said, "Yeah, Claire, it's all real."

Claire took a deep breath and leaned back from me, "Then I can wait," she said with resolve. "I'd like us to follow the rules and do things the right way."

I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face. "I love you, Claire," I said simply.

"I love you, Quil," she replied. She then got a small smirk on her lips. "Now let's go celebrate the fact that I'm now older than you are," she joked.

The day passed rather quickly. With everything Alice had planned for us to do before the party at the Cullens that evening. I'm not sure how it happened, but apparently Nessie had talked Claire into letting her and Alice throw a party for Claire at the Cullen's big white house.

We arrived about an hour before the party was ready to begin so that Nessie could get Claire ready for her party. As we drove down the long three mile driveway, I was nervous that Claire was so excited that her expectations might not be met. With Alice in charge, I shouldn't have worried. The place looked almost as done up as it had been for Edward and Bella's wedding, except the entire place was decorated in Claire's favorite shade of pink. Their yard kind of reminded me of going down the pink aisle at the toy store, and frankly it made me shudder just a bit. Claire, of course, loved it, and squealed in delight as we pulled into a parking spot next to the house.

I hardly had the car stopped when Nessie was at the door unbuckling Claire's seatbelt and dragging her off for some kind of girl torture. I waited in the yard and inspected the layout. Nessie and Alice had invited everyone Claire knew. They invited both of the packs, her entire extended family, and the entire high school student population of the tribal school on the reservation.

As the guests started to arrive, the caterers brought out more and more food, and it was obvious to me that Jacob had helped advise the caterers based on the amount and type of spread they had. The pile of presents on the gift table continued to grow as well, and Emmett as the DJ was just beginning his set when Alice had him announce the birthday girl.

I looked up to see Claire dressed in a beautiful ultra soft looking sweater dress that hugged her figure from her shoulders to her knees. She had her hair braided in an intricate way in the front with pink ribbons braided in with her hair and hanging down to her waist in the back. Claire was absolutely stunning, and she took my breath away. The DJ announced Claire, and invited me to go to the dance floor to lead off the dancing for the night. We started dancing to a very upbeat party song, and were quickly joined by crowds of friends.

The entire night had a very festive atmosphere, and Alice had really gone all out even getting Claire a birthday cake to rival most wedding cakes. Claire blew out the candles, and everyone sang to her. "So when is seventeen such a big deal?" I joked with Alice after the cake had been served.

"Well, I can't tell what will happen next year, but it seems that if Claire is all focused on wedding plans, she won't be able to be focused on celebrating her birthday like she can this year," Alice said pertly.

I shrugged, "Makes sense I guess. Thanks, by the way, you all did a great job."

The party was a huge success and everything was going extremely smoothly for a party full of vampires and werewolves. In fact, it was better than anyone could have hoped for. Claire and I danced more and then stood more to the edge as people began to leave so that Claire could say her thanks and say goodbye to her guests.

It was pretty late and most everyone had left. In fact all the families with younger children had left an hour ago, so Claire and I headed out to the dance floor for a few more songs before DJ Emmett was going to pack it up for the night. Claire and I were dancing to a slow song when I felt her tense in my arms. I looked down and saw that she was looking kind of nervous. I looked over in the direction she was facing, only to see Willow and Rosalie involved in a somewhat animated conversation with each other.

I looked around to see who remained, and saw that the last of the high school crowd was just getting in their cars to leave. That left Jacob's pack, the Cullens, Brady, and Collin. Everyone else had already left. I heard a soft growl and looked over to see Brady pacing near the edge of the forest. He was watching Willow and Rosalie like he was ready to attack at any moment.

"Quil, it looks like we might have one more thing to take care of before we leave tonight," Claire said as she nodded her head in the direction of Willow.

"Let's go see what's up," I replied. We walked over closer to Rosalie and Willow, and I saw that Brady was also headed over in the same direction.

"I haven't rally decided yet. But you two aren't able to have any children? That's so sad," Willow said to Rosalie. "I have been considering adoption. Do you think you might want to adopt my baby if I decide to go with adoption?"

"NO!!" Brady shouted before there was a terrific ripping sound as Brady phased into a huge wolf and destroyed all of his clothes.

"Holy crap!" Willow shouted as she jumped up on the bench where she and Rosalie were sitting.

Rosalie's face went from slightly amused to full of disgust as she looked at Brady. "Oh look, this one isn't housebroken yet. Who does that one belong to?" Rosalie turned to Willow, "Is that one yours? Are you carrying his puppies? Is that why he lost it like that?" Rosalie asked almost bored at this point.

"Mine? Puppies? Ok, someone needs to explain this to me, and soon," Willow said.

We got Brady to phase back, and made him sit there naked as a punishment for phasing in front of Willow and freaking her out. We sat down and spent the next hour explaining about the pack and werewolves to Willow. I had to admit, she took the whole werewolf phasing thing pretty well considering she saw Brady phase not even ten feet from her. Although, watching Rosalie's non-reaction to Brady may have helped quite a bit. Also, every time she would look over at Brady all huddled up and trying to cover himself, she would laugh. I think that helped the most.

The trickiest part of the talk came with the discussion of imprints. We talked about imprints and what it meant, and Willow instantly looked over at Claire. "Oh man, Quil's a werewolf, and you are the one he imprinted on, right? THAT'S why he's always around you, and he never gets older…" She paused and looked over at Brady again, this time almost accusingly. "I thought you said you liked me."

"I do like you, I never said you were my imprint," Brady defended.

"So what does that make me? Just some girl you screwed once after a party?" Willow demanded of Brady.

"No, I really like you, I have for a long time. It just isn't… Well, I'm not sure but…" Brady struggled.

"What? What am I supposed to be?" Willow asked with her jaw clenched.

"I was hoping you'd be my first wife," Brady spat out.

"How romantic," Rosalie said sarcastically.

"I never said it was romantic," Brady yelled at Rosalie before turning again to address Willow. "I just can't give you everything because you aren't my imprint. I've seen that bond, and I can't live my entire life without it." Brady shrugged. "Taha Aki lived the lifespan of three old men. It was his third wife that was his imprint. Who's to say something similar won't happen to me too?"

"So you're saying you want to marry me, but you can't promise you won't run off and cheat on me and use this imprinting crap as an excuse?" Willow spat out.

Brady just unapologetically stood there and shrugged his shoulders. "Willow, the entire pack can read my mind, they know when I've really imprinted or not. That's how they know that even though I am in love with you, that you aren't my imprint."

"Wait, you are in love with me?" Willow asked.

"Yes," Brady answered.

"Huh," was all Willow could get out.

"Listen," Brady said, "I'll tell you everything I can. I love you, and I can promise that a part of me will always belong to you, no matter what. I want to marry you, and keep you safe and protected. I can promise that I will continue to phase, and that I won't age. I can also promise you that no matter what, you and our child will be provided for. I can't promise you that I will never leave, and for that I am sorry, Willow, but I won't lie to you. I would love for it to be different, but this is all I can offer you. If you are willing to take the risk with me, I would love for you to be my wife."

Willow was sitting on the bench just staring at Brady as she had done all though his little speech. "I have seen enough of divorce in this world to know that no one can guarantee a happy 'til-death-do-us-part ending." She looked at the ground for a minute. Then Willow took a deep breath and said, "Brady, I'm in love with you too. Yes, I will marry you, risks and all."

**A/N: This is really raw, it's still a 1****st**** draft, but it's 11:30 at night, and I wanted to get it out today. Please help me to beta. If you see anything at all that needs a change, please tell me so I can change it, and I'll give you the beta credit. **

**THANKS, Amber**


	33. Chapter 33 August

Chapter 33 August

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 33 August

_I love being engaged to Claire! I love knowing that she has officially agreed to be mine. I don't care if that sounds chauvinistic or archaic. I love the fact that she has agreed to be mine! _

_You know what, Romeo? I thought I had heard everything from all you imprinted freaks, but you have just taken it to new levels of sap, and you haven't even been engaged a full week!_ Leah's thoughts yelled at me on patrol, I had forgotten she was going to be taking a shift. _Maybe if your brain was capable of thinking of something or someone other than Claire, you'd remember! Gah, get a freaking diary and write down your sissy daydreams like every other ten year old girl!_

I took that moment to phase back to my human form, and let Leah take over the patrol. I know her suggestion of a diary was just meant as an insult, but the idea had me pondering. I had nothing to report, so I raced directly home, and got out my laptop to do a little work. I waited as the machine hummed to life, and took its own sweet time loading up all of the dozens of programs heavily laden with graphics that I kept in my startup menu. I kept thinking about the diary idea; I liked it.

I opened the blank Word document and decided to start with a title. I needed something that I could easily recognize, but would keep all the guys away. Pretty much anything with girls, calendar, diary, journal, personal, thoughts, secrets, or private were out of the question. _What would the guys all avoid if they happened upon my computer for some reason?_ Things like wedding plans, or wedding ideas, came to mind, but that would almost be a red flag of attraction to Claire. _Hmmm, I wonder if "engaged" would be enough to balance the line?_ It seemed ok for now, so I titled the new document, and began typing the same thoughts that I had been contemplating on patrol.

**Engaged**

1st week of August 2020

I love being engaged to Claire! I love knowing that she has officially agreed to be mine. I don't care if that sounds chauvinistic or archaic. I love the fact that she has agreed to be mine, all mine!

_What the crap am I thinking?_ I stopped right where I was and password protected the document. I then brought up a game of FreeCell and played a few moves before putting into the background for a quick cover incase anyone came in to interrupt me while I was typing. I would literally never hear the end of it if one of the members of the pack found out I was taking Leah's ten-year-old girl suggestion seriously. Let alone the sappy stuff I was actually writing. I was pretty confident that Claire would be ok with it, and she might even enjoy reading it, but for now, I wasn't going to open myself up to that kind of ridicule.

"Quil, telephone!" I heard my mother yell from the kitchen. I quickly saved and closed the file and took off for the kitchen. My entry would need to be saved for another day.


	34. Chapter 34 August Again

Chapter 34 August Again

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 34 August Again

**Engaged **

**2****nd**** week of August 2020**

**So I started out this diary or journal thing as a way to ponder my romantic thoughts without the backlash of teasing that comes from the pack when I think about Claire when I am in wolf form.**

_Hmm even though this is a password protected document, I probably still need to be more careful about what I write_, I thought as I began my entry.

Backspace Backspace Backspace

… **without the backlash of teasing that comes from my group of friends when I spend time with them.**

_Man, that's crap!_ I sat and debated the safety of the secrets versus the need to have my entries be completely factual. After several minutes, I remembered Jaspers super skills with hacking computers, and decided to keep the pack stuff mostly out of it.

Backspace Backspace Backspace

… **that comes from my group of friends (that are so close we like to refer to each other as a pack) when I hang out with them.**

_Better._ But what I had really sat down to write about was Claire.

**After Claire****'****s birthday it seemed like anytime she and I had any time to spend together, it was always taken up by Brady and Willow. Man, they are cramping my style! The worst part about it is, that since Willow is so new to hanging out with our pack of friends, she is freaked out, and wants Claire****'****s help. She begs Claire to spend time together, Willow wants us to double date with her and Brady. That part isn****'****t too bad, I guess, but then Brady and Willow end up making out in the backseat the whole ride home! It sucks! I have tried to get Brady to drive, but the one time I did force him into the driver****'****s seat he was all over the road driving like an old blind woman. I mean swerving into the other lane, and driving 15 miles per hour UNDER the speed limit with werewolf reflexes??**

**Backspace Backspace Backspace**

… **I mean swerving into the other lane, and driving 15 miles per hour UNDER the speed limit when you have perfect eyesight and excellent reflexes?? It was a total sham and Claire and I both knew it. **

**Claire finally said that she wouldn****'****t be able to relax and keep her eyes off the road for a second with him driving like that, so I might as well drive. I told her that he was faking it, and she told me she knew, but that she didn****'****t want to risk death just because Brady was throwing a temper tantrum about driving. **

**Brady pulled over at the next turnout and we switched places. Willow was giggling and she and Brady were making out in the backseat before I even had a chance to buckle in and start the car! Brady sucks!!**

**I finally got Claire alone on a date last night. Well, we spent time together, but it was just a walk on the beach. We walked from First Beach south until we reached the forest. I phased and Claire rode on my back through the trees**

**Backspace Backspace Backspace**

**I carried Claire on my back as we went through the trees, so she wouldn****'****t have to struggle. We made it to the cliffs and sat there watching the sunset over the ocean. It was really beautiful and romantic. **

**It was also great to be the ones making out instead of having to hear someone else. I got to hear Claire****'****s little gasps and moans of pleasure as we kissed.**

_Wait, should I be writing that? Whatever, no one is going to see this anyway. Besides, the whole point of this is to deal with it here rather than in the pack mind! _

**I am not sure exactly what it is, but I****'****m sure it has something to do with the fact that I am a 30 year old virgin with the hormones of a 16 year old, who is engaged to the most perfectly amazing girl on the planet****…**

_Wait, I have got to ponder that thought for a while …_

**But, there is something different about our relationship. I can tell. Something about us claiming each other, or committing that we will be with each other for the rest of our lives, but things are WAY more intense now. It was definitely difficult to stop thinking about how smooth her legs were in her shorts. How her hair was swept back by the wind. The taste of her lips****…**

_Great!_I flipped the lid down on my laptop. _Now I need a cold shower!_


	35. Chapter 35 September

Chapter 35 September

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 35 September

**Engaged **

**2****nd**** week of September 2020**

**I haven****'****t written for a while, but I won****'****t comment on that anymore in this file. I will write when I need to write, and if I don****'****t need to write, I won****'****t. End of story. **

**So today****'****s topic of choice will be****…****drum roll please****…****Skye! She was home visiting for a couple of weeks at the end of summer before heading back to the university. She seemed pretty cool about most stuff, and I****'****ve never really thought of her as jealous of anything, but something she said made me think that she was jealous. She said, ****"****Quil, I am totally jealous of you and Claire and what you two have.****"**

**Yeah, so that****'****s how I figured out she was bothered by our relationship, or really, more her lack of a soul mate as she put it. I wondered about how Skye took our relationship a few times as Skye and Claire were growing up, but she always seemed to ignore us for the most part. I asked her about it and she said it was kind of like how you never really wanted to look directly into the sun. She said something like, the sun is great and all, until you look directly at it too long and it burns your retinas. I guess I can see that. **

**I also heard her talking with Claire about the wedding. Claire was explaining how traditional we plan on doing things, but also how small we want things to be. No bridesmaids or grooms men. She will wear the traditional Quileute Buckskins that she will bead herself, and I will wear the Cedar Regalia. Claire told Skye that if she were going to have bridesmaids, that she would want Skye to be hers. Claire also told her that she didn****'****t want Skye to feel bad or left out by being away and not hearing plans. Skye was very sweet about it all, and even beaded a traditional fish pattern on one of the sleeves of Claire****'****s buckskin to be a part of the preparations.**

**Skye told me later that she had asked enough questions when she was 15 and my grandfather died that her mother had to explain a few things to her about Claire and I. She also said that if she couldn****'****t have the love of her life like Claire, that she****'****d much rather go and have fun at the university than sit around at home watching everyone get old before their time. That****'****s when she started in on a whole rant about Brady and Willow. Apparently Skye had had a bit of a crush on one of Sam****'****s pack members****…**

**Backspace Backspace Backspace**

…**Sam****'****s co-workers and was told that if none of them had been interested in a girl before, that they wouldn****'****t be interested in them later. She was rather put out that Willow had obviously not had whatever it was that Claire had had with me, yet here she was ****"****getting hot and heavy****"**** with Brady. She made some grumbling remarks that I will not bother to type out (I would have to use the shift key too many times) before stating that she was headed back to school where ****"****you still had a chance with the hottest guys even if they hadn****'****t changed your diapers!****"**

**I kind of guessed it**** had**** been difficult for Skye, but I think she is handling it very well. Claire says she****'****s just drowning her sorrows in half the male population at the university. I said she didn****'****t seem to appear very sorrowful. Claire suggested we try things Skye****'****s way this month. I reminded her of her jail-bait status, and hinted that I enjoyed my freedom on the outside. She then tried to persuade me towards her point of view. **

**The ocean temperature that day was about 55 degrees. That seemed to work a little more effectively than the shower.**


	36. Chapter 36 Still September

Chapter 36 Still September

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 36 Still September

**Engaged **

**4th week of September 2020**

**School sucks! That****'****s the topic of the day! School SUCKS!! School takes my Claire away from me for several hours each day, and then, when she gets off, is she just free to play with me?**

**Backspace Backspace Backspace **

…**when she gets home from school, is she just available to hang out and spend time with me? NO! She has homework. MAN! This never used to bother me! I can****'****t believe how much of a difference being engaged is making everything! It****'****s just so long and hard****…**

**Backspace Backspace Backspace **

**I can****'****t believe how much of a difference being engaged is making everything! The wedding day seems so far away, and the waiting is very difficult!**

_Man I need to go for a swim!_ I saved and closed out the file, and jogged out of the house and to the beach. I hit the icy water and swam as fast as I could straight out from First Beach. I swam away the frustrations, letting my muscles pull through the water. The salty water of the Pacific Ocean stung the tiny scrapes on my legs from the berry bushes I had plowed through on my way to the water, until my werewolf abilities healed the cuts as I swam. I cupped my hands and felt the pull of the resistance against them, pushing even harder out to sea. I started to feel the slight ache that accompanies strenuous exercise, and glanced over my shoulder back at La Push. I realized that I could barely make out James Island in the distance, and knew I would need to turn back now if I wanted to have any chance of returning to First Beach rather than ending up ashore in Canada or Oregon. I turned and swam back to shore letting the currents and the waves glide me part of the way. I decided to body surf into shore, and almost knocked a surfer off his board on my way. He was in total shock at seeing me only in a pair of long shorts when he was so clearly shivering in a full body wetsuit. Whatever, I wasn't in the mood today.

I knew I had work to do today, so I headed back into my mom's house. I opened my computer, and began to work on a web design for a new client, but found myself staring at a picture of Claire on my desk.

"Oh, forget it!" I said aloud even though there was no one in the house. I reopened the file marked Engaged, and began typing again.

**I am really glad Claire is going to school, really, I am. I just miss spending time with her. I can tell she is having trouble with it a bit too, which makes it that much more troublesome for me. I just really want her to be happy.**

I leaned back in my office chair, and thought over what had happened after school yesterday.

I picked up Claire and Marc from school as usual. Claire got in first, and then Marc. I reached down and grasped Claire's left hand in my right hand as I leaned over to kiss her. I felt the diamond dig into my fingers a bit as I gave her hand a little squeeze. I looked down to see that her engagement ring was turned around, so that the diamond was hiding in her palm, and it looked as if she were only wearing a plain band. I asked her why she had done that.

"Oh, it's just that some of the girls at school are harassing me about us being engaged." Claire said dismissively.

"Is it that nasty Tracy Longman again?" I had asked her.

She had laughed at that comment and told me, "She's one of them actually. You know, it just floors me that they can take Willow being pregnant in stride, yet freak out about me being engaged!" She had shaken her head in amazement at that comment, and was quiet until we arrived at her house and Marc had gotten out of the truck then she had spoken again. "The school counselor called me in to the office today. She was concerned, in her words, that the ring on my finger meant that I was being pressured by someone much older than me to 'grow up before my time'. I told her if she wanted to worry about that, maybe she should pay more attention to the girls who were actually having sex with older men and getting pregnant. Quil, she immediately got out a paper that looked like a report form and started asking me questions. I couldn't get anyone in trouble, especially not Brady, but I am worried for him once word gets out more about Willow. The way the counselor acted today, I think they might need to get married soon if they don't want her to file a report on him."

We had talked about that for a while, and decided we needed to go another round with Willow and Brady. _Great, where's my headache relieving medicine?_

**A/N: The next chapter is mostly normal Quil & Claire interaction. I will post chapter 37 when the total reviews reach 286 for the story. **


	37. Chapter 37 October

Chapter 37 October

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 37 October

**Engaged **

**2nd week of October 2020**

**Marc****'****s 11****th**** birthday is on the 16****th****. I keep waiting for that kid to outgrow his weird stage, but he never seems to get any more normal. I really hope there is no reason for more kids to phase. Some of the**

**Backspace Backspace Backspace **

**I really hope there is no reason for more kids to start working security. I can barely handle Marc right now, if I had to get to know him to the point where it felt like I was in his head, I might just crack. **

**Some of the older members of the team have continued on patrols just so the likelihood of needing new younger members will be less, but a few of the wives are ready for them to stop. **

I sat back I my chair after typing the last sentence and thought about it for a moment. Claire and I hadn't ever really talked about me stopping patrols, but if I wanted to grow old with her, I knew I would have to stop eventually. Wow, being a werewolf has been so much a part of my identity for so long, that I'm not even sure I would know who I was without it. It made me wonder about Claire's reaction so much that I checked to see if she would be available for a discussion. There was still thirty minutes until it was time for me to leave and pick her up from school. _Darn._

I sat back and tried to picture my life without the ability to heal, without the heat, without the ability to run and not get tired, without the speed. I have to say that it ached a little. As much as my life had some odd restrictions to it, I loved being a werewolf, could I really give it up?

The time finally passed, and I went and picked up Claire and Marc; we promptly dropped Marc off at their house. "Claire, how about we go check the progress on the house?" I suggested as we pulled out of her driveway.

"Sure, I'd love to see the house. I haven't seen it in more than a week," Claire said with excitement.

"Okay," I responded sedately before heading in the direction of the long dirt drive that led to our building site.

Claire looked over at me studiously. "Quil, it looks like there is something on your mind. What do you want to talk to me about today?"

Ah, Claire knew me so well. I nodded my head in agreement as I debated how to begin.

We reached the house site, and Claire gasped in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me the windows had arrived?"

I looked over at her and smiled. "They actually got here early this morning, and we just finished putting them in at lunchtime. The outside of the house is now weather-tight," I told her in satisfaction. "Let's go talk inside," I suggested as I held out the key to the house.

Claire took the key and with a quick kiss on my cheek, ran through the light drizzle of rain to the front door. I caught up with her easily and kissed her properly before she had a chance to unlock the door. I released her from my grasp, and she continued to gaze at me starry-eyed. "Claire, did you forget what you were doing?" I teased.

Claire blinked a couple of times and then shook her head and laughed. "I guess I did." She turned and unlocked the house. I considered sweeping her up into my arms and carrying her across the threshold, but playing at marriage was a dangerous thing. Playing at marriage in a locked house, even an unfinished one, was a _much more_ dangerous thing, so I just followed her inside.

The inside of the house was really blank, just the framing and some scaffolding. We had worked hard to get the outside of the house weatherproofed to keep out the near constant rain. The windows had to be ordered and shipped in, so they had been the last to be completed.

I had grabbed the two beanbag chairs from the Dollhouse and put them in what would later be the living room. I motioned towards them and said, "Actually, Claire, there is something I wanted to discuss with you."

Claire picked up on my melancholy mood, and her expression softened to match my more somber attitude. "Quil, you know you can talk to me about anything," she said as she sank into the beanbag. She looked at me with a gentle smile waiting for me to take the lead on the subject of my choice.

I plopped down in the other beanbag chair facing her, and looked into her deep chocolate-brown eyes that so perfectly matched my own. The temporary haze that filled my mind was not helping me think clearly enough for me to know how to begin. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, forming a clear thought I was able to begin. "Have you ever thought about me…not being a werewolf anymore?" I finally asked.

"Oh," Claire said knowingly. "I was wondering when we were going to have this discussion," she almost whispered as she looked down at her fingers. She took a deep breath and looked me directly in the eyes, "Quil, you don't have to worry. I know how much this is part of your life, and I would never dream of telling you to stop phasing."

I'm sure my face suddenly looked confused by her statement. I raced to reassure her, "No, no, Claire, I'm not thinking that…I only meant…" I took a moment to collect myself. "I was writing something today that brought up the idea of if we needed any young, new pack members and it made me think for the first time about not phasing, and the fact that one day I would need to stop."

Claire burst into a fit of giggles. "You just thought about it for the first time today? I've actually had lengthy discussions with the pack wives on this."

My look of shock stopped her in her tracks. She waited for me to speak, so I asked her, "And what did you decide?"

Claire got up out of her beanbag chair and walked slowly over to me. She gently moved my arms off of my lap, and sat down in their place. She took my face in both her hands and looked deeply into my eyes. She spoke softly and almost with reverence she said, "This has been who you are for almost my entire life. When the time is right, I will let you know my opinion, but this is something I can _never_ take from you. Like Taha Aki, this has to be something you willingly give up because you want to grow old with me. This will be your choice, and not mine." Claire paused and gently brushed her lips against mine for the briefest of moments before continuing. "Quil, I love you, and you love me, and even if you decide to be werewolf my entire lifetime, I will be happy because you are happy, and you will always be with me."

At those words I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her with as much passion as I ever had. My Claire was perfect for me, and I amazed at how I could be so blessed!

**A/N: I will post chapter 38 when the total reviews for the story reach 320. Thanks!**


	38. Chapter 38 November

Chapter 38 November

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 38 November

**Engaged **

**3rd week of November 2020**

_**It's pretty pathetic when the only alone time I get with Claire - my fianc**__**é**__**e - is in my dreams! I am so frustrated with Brady lately. This last week he has been on me like white on rice!**_

I was interrupted by my cell phone ringing. I answered without looking at the caller ID, "Hello?"

"Quil, it's Embry. Where are you?" he asked, and I could hear the echo of an empty house.

_Shoot._ I had totally forgotten that I was going to meet him at ten today to work on the electrical in the house, and it was already twenty past ten. "Embry, sorry, I got caught up with stuff here. I'll be over in just a few, I'm leaving right now." I told him as I shut down my computer and got into my truck.

I drove the short distance up the hill, past the school, and turned left onto the long dirt drive that led to where we were building our home. There would eventually be development along this drive, but we were the first to build, and we were building at the back of what would be the new development. As a result, we would need to either have our house self-sustaining with a well and septic system, or wait for the new development to run all the public utilities. After being to one too many meetings where there was an abundance of red tape and a significant lack of decisions made, we decided to go with the solo option to allow us to actually move into our house as soon as we were married. I pulled up and found Embry waiting for me just inside the door with a massive bowl of cookies.

"Good thing you showed up when you did, or I would have had to eat all of those cookies myself," Embry teased.

"Dude, that's like eight dozen cookies! Where did you get them all?" I asked, knowing full well that Ariel had made them.

"Where do you think? Ariel made them. She tends to over bake when she's nervous, but I have no clue what she could be nervous about, there hasn't been a threat in quite a while," Embry answered.

"Yeah, the only time she over baked other than during attacks was when she was pregnant," I said, mostly to tease him.

"Holy Cow!" Embry said before grabbing his phone and calling Ariel. "Hi Ariel, it's me...Yeah, I was just discussing cookies with Quil and he brought something up...uh huh… are you pregnant?" There was a bit of a pause before he exclaimed, "You are? That's great Sweetheart!" Embry finished up his call with Ariel and walked back to where I was standing, shaking his head.

"So I take it congratulations are in order, then?" I said, chuckling at his slightly dazed expression.

"Yeah, and Ariel said that she couldn't believe that you picked up on the cookie clue before I did," He said, shaking his head.

I laughed, and began to tease him as we devoured the cookies. The joking and banter continued as we got to work on the electrical. We worked steadily for the next four hours, getting quite a bit accomplished. It hit two-thirty, and we were really ready for the piles of sandwiches that Ariel had brought over. Halfway through the feeding frenzy, Brady showed up, and I groaned just loud enough for Embry to hear.

"What's the matter, getting a little tired of your new shadow?" Embry asked.

"Definitely," I muttered back. "What's up Brady?" I called out to him.

"Uh, Quil, Willow and I need to ask you and Claire a favor today," Brady said looking a little embarrassed.

"What else is new?" Embry said before I had a chance to respond.

"Hey, I can't help it if Willow still gets a little freaked out if it's just the two of us," Brady responded defensively.

"How's that going to work when the two of you get married?" Embry taunted.

Brady's face flushed, and he started stammering. "Uh, um, well, see, uh."

I took a deep breath and let out a huge sigh, "Dude, just spit it out. What do you need from Claire and me today?"

Brady's face got even redder and he started studying the floor. He finally spat out, "We need you to be witnesses."

"What?" Embry and I said at the same time.

Brady continued his examination of the floor as he said, "Willow wants us to pick her and Claire up after school, and have you two drive with us to go get married. We have an appointment at the courthouse, and we'd like the two of you to be our witnesses."

To say I was shocked was putting it mildly. I had so many questions running through my head. I asked the most pressing one first. "So you finally told Willow's parents that she's pregnant? How did they react?" _And if you told them, why are you asking us to be your witnesses, _I thought.

Brady looked up, his eyes going wide, and immediately looked at the floor again. "Uh, we didn't tell them. Willow had a bunch of papers from the school that her parents needed to sign. She made extra copies, so they would get sick of reading the same thing over and over. She put the parental consent for a minor to get married paperwork on the bottom, so they signed it without knowing," he admitted.

I was in shock! "You want to elope, and have us sign a government document as proof that we were your accomplices? This is just great," I said sarcastically. "You know, this isn't the best way to start a relationship with your future in-laws," I chided.

"Yeah, well, I'll do better next time," Brady muttered.

"Next time?" Embry asked a little confused by Brady's statement.

"Yeah, you know in eighty years, after Willow's dead, and he imprints on his true soul mate," I answered Embry, my voice dripping in sarcasm.

Embry scrunched up his face in disgust and looked at Brady for confirmation, "Seriously?"

Brady shrugged, "Just because I haven't imprinted, doesn't mean I'm going to live the life of a monk. I screwed up, and Willow got pregnant, so I'll marry her and take care of her. I mean, really like her and all, so it shouldn't be so bad. But I'm not going to give up my chance at what the two of you have either."

Embry looked at me incredulously. "Embry, we don't have time to get into it now, I'll explain later," I reassured him.

"But later Willow will be married to him," he said in shock.

"It's ok, she knows everything and is fine with it all," Brady said.

Embry looked to me for confirmation, and I gave him a one shoulder shrug and a nod in my halfhearted agreement. "Willow knows everything, and still wants to marry him," I admitted.

"Ugh, this is depressing me! I am going to go home and make love to my beautiful wife now that I don't need to worry about her getting knocked up. See ya later Quil. Good luck with that whole marriage thing Brady," Embry called out as he took his dishes and headed out of the house.

"T.M.I., Embry, T.M.I." I called out after him. He just turned around and chuckled at me before getting in his car and leaving.

I turned my attention to Brady. "So, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I really kind of love her. I know it's nothing like you have with Claire, but I think it might be better than what my parents had," Brady admitted. "You know, maybe I need to have a chance to practice this so I can be a better husband later," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe you guys that have imprinted could get it right the first time, but I needed more practice or something."

"Well, that's one way to look at it, I guess. But, Brady, you _have_ to stop talking like that. It ends right here. This maybe a trial run for you, but this is Willow's only shot. Don't ever make her feel like less just because you are looking forward to something else. Stop looking for an imprint. Commit to Willow until death do you part, or don't marry her. Got it?" I lectured, hoping he would get it finally, and it would be my last time having to discuss this with him.

The look on Brady's face changed, humbled, "I get it now. I'll be the love of_ her_ life."

I let out a huge breath I hadn't even known I was holding. "That's all I'm asking. I'm glad you finally got it through that thick skull of yours," I said as I grabbed him into a headlock and rubbed his head with my knuckles. "Come on, let's go get changed and grab a camera. I'm sure Willow doesn't want to marry someone in an old concert T-shirt," I told him while looking critically at his attire.

We changed into button down shirts and slacks, switched vehicles, and were at the school mere minutes before the bell rang. I had driven Claire's five passenger car for the room. I instructed Brady to get in the back, and not pick on Marc. Marc came to the car, but we were still waiting for the girls. I turned around and asked Brady, "Did Willow mention anything to you about the fact that she might be changing?"

"Yeah, she just sent me a text saying they are in the girl's bathroom getting ready," Brady informed me.

I put the car in drive and headed towards the Hobucket house to drop off Marc. "Text Willow and let her know we are dropping off Marc and we'll be back in less than five minutes.

"What's going on?" Marc suddenly became hyper aware of us. I could see him studying our clothes and looking around the car, most likely for other clues.

"Nothing, we're just going on an early date," Brady answered. Marc looked suspicious, but didn't say anything. We let him out of the car and headed back to the school.

By the time we arrived, the girls were there and waiting for us, dressed nicely for school, but not in dresses as I would have expected. They each had a very full backpack and a gym bag. I left the car running and hopped out to help them put the bags into the trunk, and held the door open for Claire. She slid into the passenger seat without really looking at me, and definitely without kissing me, and that's when I really began to suspect something was up.

I got in the car and leaned over to kiss Claire. She gave me a quick peck without looking me in the eye. I leaned back and she sat staring at her hands still avoiding eye contact. I pulled up into a parking spot and turned off the ignition. "Claire, the last time you wouldn't look at me like this was when you were ten and ate my candy without asking. What is going on here, and why do you feel guilty?" I asked softly with suspicion.

Claire hunched over just a touch more and barely whispered, "Where did Brady tell you we were going?"

I immediately looked to the backseat and saw guilty looks on both Brady and Willow's faces. I looked directly at Brady and said, "I thought you said we were going to the courthouse so the two of you could get married."

"That's right," Brady confirmed, but still looked guilty. Willow bit her lip and looked out the window.

"Brady, what did you forget to mention in this little plan of yours?" I asked with suspicion.

"Um, that the courthouse is in Oregon?" he said as a question.

"What?" I shouted towards the backseat. I saw Claire cringe next to me.

"Quil, please don't be mad, please," Claire pleaded and rubbed her hand on my arm in an attempt to calm me.

I immediately turned my attention to Claire. "Oh, Claire, I'm not mad. I'm just in shock. Look, I'm not even shaking at all. I just thought we were headed to Port Angeles, and now apparently we have a ten hour drive ahead of us. That will get us back at, what, one or two in the morning?"

Claire's eyes darted to the backseat and hesitated responding with, "Uh…"

I turned to the front of the car and put my hands in my head. "Brady, tell me every detail of this trip, or you can leave without me," I threatened.

Brady explained that we would be heading to Columbia county courthouse in St. Helens, Oregon, but that we wouldn't reach there until after eight, and the courthouse would be closed. So we would be staying at a motel for the night, and they had an appointment for the morning. He said we would need to leave before eleven in the morning in order to get back before school got out for the day.

"Is that everything?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I think so," he responded sounding a little concerned for my reaction.

I finally lifted my face from my hands and looked at Claire. "So what do your parents think about this?" I asked her.

Claire pursed her mouth in that adorable way that shows her dimples so well. "Um, they think I'm spending the night at Willow's," she told me.

I paused looking deep into her eyes before asking, "And you are ok lying to them and dealing with the consequences if you are caught?"

Claire looked down in her lap and simply whispered, "Yes."

I was severely disappointed in Clare, but knew I needed to treat her as an equal. She had made this decision without any help from me, and was willing to suffer the punishment if she was caught. That meant to me that I only needed to decide for myself if it was worth it for me to be involved in this. "Brady, why Oregon?" I asked hoping to settle something for myself.

"In Oregon you can get married at seventeen with parent's written permission, Washington they have to show up in person." Brady hesitated a moment before saying, "Look, the school counselor has been putting a lot of pressure on kids to rat out cases of what they think are bad relationships. If the counselor or Willow's parents find out she's pregnant before we get married, I could go to jail. I just wanted to make her mine, be the love of her life, and be there for her and the baby."

I heard Willow's gasp before she threw her arms around his neck and began kissing him fiercely. Brady was doing this for Willow, and that was enough to get me on board. I turned the ignition and started the car. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Forks. "So, does anyone have any snacks for this road trip, or are we going to need to make a stop?" I asked jovially.

Claire threw her arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek and said, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," I said to Claire. "Oh, and Brady, as payment for my participation in this little endeavor you have two choices once we gas up and get snacks in Forks. One, you can drive properly, and not kill us all, or two, you can ride shotgun, and the girls can sit in the back. Your choice, but this five hour drive was you idea, so you don't get to sit in the back making out with Willow the whole way."

Brady decided he would rather sit near Willow and drive than ride shotgun, so after we stopped at the Thriftway and loaded up on snacks, we all switched seats. Claire and I were sitting in the back with the majority of the snacks at her feet. She leaned over and pulled out something from the bakery section, and I could smell the chocolate.

"What do you have in there Claire?" I whispered in her ear, tickling it with my tongue and sending shivers down her body.

Claire giggled softly and pulled out a brownie. "I told you the next time, it would be our turn to eat brownies in the backseat while they drove," she replied with a sexy smile.

"Oh, I think I'm going to like this trip!" I whispered back.

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this! I was amazed at how fast you all reached my goal! This chapter is much like previous ones. Please tell me what you think! Chapter 39 is titled Oregon, and I do have a magic number in mind for posting, but I'm not telling this time, so I can at least have a day to write the chapter. **


	39. Chapter 39 Oregon

Chapter 39 Oregon

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 39 Oregon

"_What do you have in there Claire?" I whispered in her ear, tickling it with my tongue and sending shivers down her body._

_Claire giggled softly and pulled out a brownie. "I told you the next time, it would be our turn to eat brownies in the backseat while they drove," she replied with a sexy smile._

"_Oh, I think I'm going to like this trip!" I whispered back._

Claire giggled again and handed me a brownie. She then proceeded to eat her brownie very slowly, taking a bite and chewing it, the entire time looking me directly in the eyes. Claire's actions had my heart beginning to race. I sat in awe watching as she finished her brownie. Still looking directly in my eyes, she began to suck the crumbs of chocolate off her fingers and I gasped at the sight. It was honestly the most seductive thing I had ever seen in my entire life. By the time she reached her third finger I couldn't help but lean over and kiss her like we were the only two people in the world! Claire began to moan against my mouth, the little vibrations tickling my lips. I vaguely heard some background noise, but chose to ignore it, wrapping my arms tighter around Claire's waist.

It was then that Brady chose to slam on the brakes. I moved and adjusted Claire a fraction of a second before she was about to slam into the front seat. "Brady, what did you do that for?" I yelled knocking him in the back of the head.

Brady continued to drive back at the normal speed. "The two of you need to chill out. We are only twenty minutes into a five hour ride, and you two are going at it like you're newlyweds," Brady explained.

"I wish," I heard Claire mutter under her breath. Then aloud she asked, "So why is it that you two get to make out in the back seat anytime we're in the front of the car and you two won't let us do the same?"

Willow turned around in her seat and answered Claire. "You two are the perfect couple, you always have been. We've already messed up, it's not like I can get more pregnant," she added with sarcasm. "Claire, don't follow our example, we only wish we could be like the two of you."

Claire sighed knowing how much her friend longed to be loved for being herself but merely said quietly in her defense, "We were only kissing."

Brady and Willow laughed at her defensiveness, I and just gave her a tight squeeze. Knowing we still had nine months ahead of us, I was secretly a little glad that they were helping keep us on track. We then switched the mood in the car by all playing a game of "I've never" Where the first person says something they've never done, and anyone who has done that thing has to raise their hand and tell their story. We used it as more of a get to know you game than anything else, and learned quite a few tidbits about each other.

We stopped at Burger King in Chehalis for dinner and a break to stretch our legs. We got take-out to eat in the car in order to reach Oregon sooner. We got into the town of St. Helens a little after nine at night. We checked into the Best Western Motel in St. Helens, getting a room with two queen sized beds. It would be a little weird, but none of us of us wanted the girls to be alone. Claire and I were also realistic to know that the extra room would be a total waste of money as Brady and Willow wouldn't be willing to sleep apart given the time away from parents. We settled in, bringing the snacks and bags in from the car. I was a little surprised when I found that the girls had packed shorts for us to sleep in. They had this trip better planned than I had realized. Claire handed me my shorts, and I raised my eyebrow to question her.

Claire looked down at the floor and said, "I just wanted you to be comfortable."

I lifted up her chin so she would look at me, but she resisted a bit, so I grabbed the room key and shoved it in my pocket, took Claire by the hand, and said, "Claire and I are going to take a little walk." We left Brady and Willow in the room, and went to stand out in the parking lot.

"Claire, what's going on here? Why did you keep this from me, you and Willow and Brady too right? You all planned this overnight trip without me knowing anything about it. Why?" I asked her softly, but the hurt in my voice was so present I couldn't even deny it.

Claire came over and took my hands in hers. "Quil, Willow has actually liked Brady for quite a while, she really wants to marry him, and I just want to help her. I…I didn't tell you because I was afraid that if you knew about it for the full two weeks, that you would try to talk Brady out of it, or that something would slip when you were on patrol, and someone would tell Willow or Brady's families. Also, that counselor at school is on some kind of mission to 'protect all the girls at school from older guys' and I needed to make sure I could help Willow make this happen."

I looked down at Claire, and took her chin in my hand. "Claire, I just want you to know that you can trust me with anything. I will always be on your side, no matter what."

She looked back at me and smiled a little. "But what about phasing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "If I told you something I needed to keep a secret, would you go without phasing for two whole weeks for me?"

"Two weeks?" was all I could get out, and Claire softly chuckled in response.

"That's why I do my best, but can't always tell you everything," Claire said with a pat on my bicep.

It was then that her cell phone rang. The caller ID said it was her parents. She answered the phone hesitantly, "Hello?"

I could clearly hear her mom on the other end of the phone in the quiet of the parking lot. "Hi Claire, this is Mom. Where are you?"

Claire's eyes widened with fear that her mom might have found out something. "I'm with Willow," Claire answered cautiously.

"Huh, and where might that be?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, we're out. We went and got some Burger King for dinner," Claire said, still telling the truth, but nothing that would get her in trouble yet.

"The Burger King in Port Angeles?" Sarah asked, and Claire looked up at me, her eyes wide. She and I both knew that this was the point where she was in too deep to answer her mom's questions without lying or giving away our actions.

"Are you going to lie or tell the truth?" I whispered to Claire.

Claire looked like a deer in headlights. I knew she didn't want to lie to her mom, but she didn't want to betray her friend either. Claire's hesitation spoke enough for Sarah to continue.

"Claire, how about I tell you what I know? Marc told us that after school Quil and Brady were dressed up, and that he had seen a paper with the words 'State of Oregon permission for a minor to marry' and 'State of Oregon marriage license' on them. He told this about half an hour ago. Do you have anything to say to that?" Sarah asked pointedly.

"Uh," was all that escaped from Claire's mouth.

Sarah began speaking again, "I called over to Willow's house, and her mom's first question to me was, 'Did Willow forget something for her sleepover?' Claire, are you even in the state of Washington right now?"

This time Claire responded with a very quiet, "No."

Sarah hesitated for what felt like several minutes, but was probably mere seconds. Sarah spoke in a heartbreaking whisper, "Claire, did you and Quil elope to Oregon?"

Claire realized her mom's concern and responded to it immediately. "Oh, no Mom, no, it's not Quil and me. Oh, Mom, I could never do that to you. I wouldn't leave you out. I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't think you would find out, I mean, I …" Claire took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Claire, What made you think it was acceptable to leave the state without permission and, I assuming skip school tomorrow?" Sarah asked obviously agitated.

She looked at me with a questioning expression. I just shrugged and shook my head letting her know that she'd need to come up with her own answer. "Um, Mom, I have a good reason, and I'll explain it all tomorrow, I promise. Right now I need to help my friends."

"Claire, please let me speak to Quil," Sarah said with a strained voice.

Claire hesitated for a moment and then said, "Mom, this was my idea, not Quil's. He only found out about it an hour before we left, and we were on the road when he still thought we were headed over to Port Angeles. I know you'll probably punish me when I get home…"

"Oh, you can count on it," Sarah interrupted.

"Yeah well, this is something I need to do for Willow. We will be home before school lets out tomorrow, and we'll see you then. I love you, Mom. We're safe, don't worry," Claire finished.

"Claire, where are you sleeping tonight?" Sarah asked.

"Huh?" Claire asked avoiding the question or stalling for time.

"What are the sleeping arrangements for tonight, the car, a tent, a hotel, what?" Sarah clarified.

"Um, we got a motel room," Claire responded.

"One hotel room for the four of you?" Sarah probed.

"Yeah, um, Willow and I will share a bed, and the guys can either share or one of them will take the couch," Claire responded looking like she was trying her best to avoid further trouble.

"Brady will get the couch," I insisted quietly. Claire gave a bit of a smirk in my direction.

"There are several reasons why I am not happy about this Claire. I expect you to come home directly from your trip tomorrow. I will have Emily pick up Marc from school and we_ will_ discuss this as soon as you come home, do you understand?" Sarah asked, irritated but resigned that there was nothing more she could do about the situation.

"Yes, Mom, I love you, bye," Claire finished.

"I love you too, Claire, Goodbye," and Sarah hung up.

Claire ended the call and turned to me, "Turn off your phone, hurry!" she said to me as she turned her phone off. She jogged to the door of the room and I kept pace behind her. I opened the door to the room, and we found Brady and Willow in the midst of some fairly heavy kissing on one of the beds. "Hey, you two, knock it off. Marc ratted us out. They still don't know where we are yet, but you need to turn off your phones now." The broke apart and immediately turned off their phones. "Oh, and by the way, Willow, you and I are sharing a bed and Quil gets the other one. I'm going to be in enough trouble as it is, I don't need any more."

"Hey, what about me, why do I have to sleep on the couch?" Brady whined.

Claire whipped her head around and glared at him, with one hand on her hip, "Are you going to be driving for five hours tomorrow, or are you going to be making out with your wife in the backseat?"

"Making out in the back seat, Mother," Brady answered sarcastically with a pout. It totally broke the tension in the room and got us all immediately laughing.

We took turns getting ready for bed, and the girls went first. They were tucked into bed by the time I came out of the bathroom, so I went over to Claire and kissed her gently on the mouth. "Sweet dreams, Claire," I whispered. She kissed me back and told me she loved me. I hopped into the other bed and set the alarm for the morning. The girls had evidently stayed up very late the night before planning everything, so they fell asleep before Brady was even out of the shower.

Brady came in and set the couch cushions on the floor creating a bed without the height restrictions that the arms of the couch gave. "Hey, toss me that bedspread and extra pillow, will ya?" he asked. I tossed them over to him, and he got settled in.

We both lay there trying to relax and get to sleep, but it was a little difficult for me without my normal evening run, and we certainly didn't need as much sleep as the girls did. We rested for about twenty minutes before Brady and I started to talk.

"So, Brady, what are you two going to do after we get home tomorrow?" I began.

"What do you mean?" he asked looking for clarification.

"Well, you realize that Sarah knows we are in Oregon for the two of you to get married tomorrow, right?" I asked. "Why did you two decide to elope rather than get Willow's parents to go to the courthouse with you in Port Angeles?"

"Willow is convinced that if we had asked them, they would have forced her to get an abortion, and they would have filed statutory rape charges against me," he answered quietly.

"So how did Willow think her parents would respond once they found out the two of you were married?" I inquired.

"She thought they would kick her out of the house," Brady said sullenly.

"Hmm… Hey, when we get home tomorrow afternoon, Claire's parents are most likely going to be ready to sit Claire and down for a long lecture, so we probably won't be much help to you. Also, with the phone call Claire just had with her mom, it's likely that Willow's parents will be aware of your marriage before you get back. I think maybe you should have a plan that starts tomorrow night for how to take care of Willow," I suggested.

"Well, I guess she could move into my room…" Brady thought aloud.

"That filthy rat's nest you share with Collin and those other two guys from your pack?" I asked, my face scrunching up at the memory of the stench of that place had the last time I was there.

"Where else would you suggest that tree house of yours?" Brady said, a little too seriously for my liking.

"No, that's absolutely off limits! Besides, it doesn't even have a bathroom or kitchen." I whisper yelled back with as much force as I could muster and still keep my volume low. I took a deep breath and began again. "Hey, have you registered down at the land office? You are old enough, and will be married, maybe you won't have to wait very long since Willow is pregnant."

"I haven't yet, but maybe I should do that when we get home tomorrow. No matter what, she probably won't want to live with the other guys for long," Brady contemplated.

"Ya think?" I said sarcastically, and we both laughed quietly as to not wake up the girls. "Hey, Brady, do you love Willow?" I asked him after a few minutes.

"Yeah…But it's not the same as imprinting," he answered. He was quiet for a minute then said, "Actually, you've been in Sam's head before. The way I love Willow feels a lot like how Sam remembers loving Leah. I think that is one of the reasons I have been so afraid of all of this. I mean, you've seen what Sam imprinting on Emily has done to Leah. It would rip me to shreds if I did that to Willow. But I have seen both of those relationships in Sam's head. I know the difference between regular love, and the love of your imprint, your soul mate, and I don't think I could give up the hope of that. I can't ever see myself stopping phasing before I have that in my life."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, imprinting is pretty incredible," I said looking with loving awe over at a sleeping Claire.

"You know though, as much as I am afraid of hurting Willow the same way Sam hurt Leah. If I were to imprint on someone else, for me it would be worse because there is a child involved. But, do you know what? I can't fathom fighting against the pull of an imprint. It seems so impossible," he sighed.

"Yeah, do you honestly think I would be here right now if it weren't for Claire asking me to come on this trip?" I replied sardonically.

"Mmm Hmm, we kind of knew Claire was the only one that would get you to make this road trip with us," Brady said, his voice getting a little sluggish. "Well, we've got a big day tomorrow, I'm gonna try and get to sleep, 'night Quil."

"Good night, Brady," I said, and tried to relax as much as possible to get to sleep before he had a chance to start snoring.

I must have slept soundly, because what felt like a minute later I was being woken up to the sound of a hairdryer in the bathroom. I looked over to see the clock, and it was just past seven. I heard the sounds of the hairdryer stop, and could faintly hear Claire and Willow's excited chatter. Brady was still asleep and lightly snoring.

The girls exited the bathroom a few minutes later, and I was shocked at what I saw. Willow was wearing a cream colored dress which was fitting across the top, had a high waistband of lace just under her chest; it fell loosely over her generous belly to past her knees. I was sitting there with my jaw on the floor when I realized this was the first time in months I had seen Willow wearing anything other than a bulky sweatshirt. "Wow…Willow, you look…" I searched for the right word, but said the only one that registered in my mind, "pregnant!"

"Quil!" Claire scolded me, and it shook me a little from my stupor.

"Nah, it's ok. I mean if he's this shocked, and he knew, I guess I've been hiding it better than I thought," Willow assured Claire.

"So, how pregnant are you?" I asked from my perch on the bed.

Willow sat on the girls' bed and rolled her eyes. "I'm one hundred percent pregnant, Quil," she answered sarcastically.

I looked over at Claire with a partially confused, partially frustrated look and waved my hand to have her help me explain. "He wants to know how far along you are," Claire interpreted.

Willow laughed before answering. "I'm seven months along. I'm due the last part of January." I nodded my understanding. "That's one of the reasons we are getting married now, I have hid it as absolutely long as I could, but I'm just getting too big, it's too obvious now." She turned to look at Brady and noticed he was still snoring, so she took her hairbrush and threw it at his head. He rolled over and woke up like he had been awoken with a gentle kiss. "Wedding day, Brady, time to wake up," Willow called out.

"Ok," Brady said, and went to give Willow a sweet, gentle kiss and told her, "I love you," before heading into the bathroom to shower and change.

Willow stared after him at the closed door with a look of shock on her face. Then she turned to me, and with one eyebrow raised in skepticism she asked, "What did the two of you do last night?"

I had to laugh at her reaction. "Nothing much, we just talked about some stuff. He told me how much he loves you. Maybe defining it for me last night helped him realize it for himself," I suggested.

Willow's face began to glow as she smiled, and her eyes were wet with tears, "Thanks, Quil, I knew it was important for you to be here."

"Don't mention it," I said humbly. Pretty soon Brady was finished, and then it was my turn to get ready last. By the time I was done, they had pretty much everything packed up. We put it all in the car and checked out of the Motel.

We headed over to the courthouse and were right on-time for the eight in the morning appointment with the justice of the peace, Levi Vance. He was a nice man, about thirty years old, almost as tall as Brady and me, who kept the ceremony basic, short, and sweet. As we were signing and witnessing the various pieces of paperwork, he told us about his lovely wife Britney. He showed us a picture and said they had been married for eight years, had three children, and told us they were very happy. He wished all of us to have as much happiness in our marriages as he had in his. His personal stories made it a much more romantic experience than I had been expecting from the day.

We got back to the car and climbed in laughing and joking, and began the trip back home. We drove as far as Chehalis and decided to stop at Denny's for something to eat, and to use the bathroom to change into more comfortable clothes for driving. Having switched mentally from wedding mode to returning home mode, I decided I was ready to turn my mobile phone back on. Besides, I hadn't planned on taking the day off of work, and I might have some client calls to catch up on. As it turned out, I did have a few voicemails that needed attention. I let the others know what I was doing, and stepped outside to take care of answering a few work calls.

When I returned to the table the food had arrived, and the atmosphere had mellowed quite a bit. I slipped into the booth and asked, "Claire, what's wrong?"

"We all turned on our phones to check our voicemail and my mom called, and Willow's mom called and left some voicemails, Willow is still checking them." She paused there, but I could tell this wasn't going to be good. "Willow's mom is pretty upset, and said she spent last night packing up all of Willow's belongings.

I turned to look at Willow, who had her phone to her ear, and she suddenly went white as a sheet. She took the phone down from her ear and pushed a few buttons. "Willow, what's wrong?" Brady asked her with fear in his voice.

Willow turned slowly to Brady and said, "That last call was from just ten minutes ago. She must have called while I was checking the other voicemails. She said she found my prenatal vitamins while she was packing my things, and knows that I am pregnant. She said…" her voice broke, and she took a sip of water before continuing, "She said that I need to get an abortion or she will never speak to me again because having a baby at eighteen will ruin my life." Willow sat there and shook her head; the rest of us looked at her in stunned silence, all of us ignoring our food. "She doesn't even know I'm already seven months along." Willow laughed a little hysterically, "I won't have this baby when I'm eighteen, the baby is due in January, and I'll be seventeen!"

"Willow, I'm sure we can figure something out, maybe once she knows how far along you are…" Claire tried to console her.

Willow interrupted with, "No, Claire, you don't understand. She said she's done. My mom said I have twenty minutes to call her and tell her where to send all of my things, or she is going to dump them all in the street in the rain. That means I only have," she paused to check the time on her phone, "Seven minutes to figure out where I'm going to live and call her back!" she finished in a panic.

Brady finally spoke up, "Tell her my address." He reached out and held her hand in his and leaned over to gently kiss her on the cheek. "Well, I guess now it will be our address."

She looked somewhat relieved, but asked, "What about the other guys, aren't they going to be mad?"

"You're my wife Willow; it's my job to take care of you now. They all have other places that they can go if they don't like it, but you don't have another option. Also, I'll go and talk to the housing office tomorrow, and get things moving so we can have our own house, Ok?"

By the time he finished Willow looked as if she had regular color back in her cheeks, and with tears glistening in her eyes, she called her mom. The call was shorter than we all had expected, and Willow was able to give her mom Brady's address. As the call ended Willow had an odd smirk on her face. "You know what she seemed most upset about throughout all these calls?" she asked us we shook our heads ready for sympathy and she continued. "She found a half used box of condoms. She was yelling at me telling me they were expensive and scolded me for wasting the ones I used since I just got pregnant anyway!" Then Willow burst out laughing at the absurdity and we all joined in.

With Willow's living situation settled, we were able to focus on our breakfast, well more like brunch, and finish eating. The ride home was surprisingly pleasant. Between Willow's pregnancy, and Brady's worrying, the two of them pretty much slept the rest of the way home. I was anxious to get home, and didn't necessarily keep to all of the speed limits, so we pulled into La Push just before two in the afternoon.

I decided to go the path of least resistance, and headed directly to Brady's. As we pulled in Collin was outside putting a large bag of trash in the garbage can. "Wow, that's something I've never seen before," Brady commented in amazement as he noticed Collin.

"What?" Willow asked.

"Collin taking out the trash," Brady responded. "I wonder what got into him."

We soon found out as we took Brady and Willow's things into a mostly picked-up house. "Willow, your parents came by with all your things, we put them in Brady's room," Collin said sedately. "We thought with the amount of stuff they brought over here, that it looked kind of permanent, so we decided to clean up for you…as sort of a wedding present I guess," Collin stumbled to finish.

Willow's eyes brimmed with tears of gratitude, "Thank you. All of you, really. Thanks." She gave Claire a big hug and said, "I'm sorry my screwed up life is getting you in trouble."

"Don't worry about it, you've always been there for me, this time it was my turn, no big deal," Claire assured her, and we left to head to Claire's house.

**A/N: Claire facing the punishment ahead of her has me so stressed out, that I need to take a break. SO, now it will be in Chapter 40. Thanks you for your support and all of the reviews! Especially those who have gone back and reviewed chapters 8-29 that they had previously reviewed for the other 2 volumes before I combined them.**

**And as always, if you see any errors, please let me know so that I can fix them!**


	40. Chapter 40 Time to Face the Music

Chapter 40 Time to Face the Music

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 40 Time to Face the Music

_Willow's eyes brimmed with tears of gratitude, "Thank you. All of you, really. Thanks." She gave Claire a big hug and said, "I'm sorry my screwed up life is getting you in trouble." _

"_Don't worry about it, you've always been there for me, this time it was my turn, no big deal," Claire assured her, and we left to head to Claire's house. _

_We drove the short distance to Claire's house, and pulled into the driveway. I shut off the car, and turned to face Clare. Raising one eyebrow, I asked her, "Are you ready for this?"_

Claire leaned over and kissed me with the force of a soldier going off to war. "No, but I did something wrong, and now I have to face the consequences. I'm just sorry I had to drag you into all of this as well," she told me. Grabbing the door handle she took a deep breath, "Let's get this over with," she said.

We got her bag and backpack from the trunk, and went into the house. I wasn't surprised to see both Sarah and Daniel sitting in the living room, deep in discussion with one another. We set down Claire's things just inside the door and went into the living room to face her parents. They both eyed me with a look of disappointment that I had never seen from either one of them before. Honestly, it made me feel about three inches high. Claire motioned for me to sit on the sofa, and then she sat on the ottoman directly facing her parents. Sarah and Daniel had not said a word to either of us since we walked into the house.

Claire broke the silence by saying, "Mom, Dad, before you ask a bunch of questions, may I please tell you everything first, full disclosure, so then you can know why I did what I did?" Claire asked humbly.

"We'd love to hear anything you have to say," Daniel said and Sarah nodded in agreement, although the stern determination on their faces was an indication that they could not be dissuaded from the punishment they had already settled upon.

Claire noted their looks and began a bit nervously. "Willow has told me certain things in confidence that, until today, I wasn't free to talk about. Mom, Dad, Willow is pregnant. She's actually seven months along." Claire was only slightly interrupted by the gasps from her parents. "Willow's mom is really big on the idea of abortion in the case of an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy. She and I both knew this, and kept her pregnancy a secret as long as we could so that Willow's mom couldn't _force_ Willow into having an abortion. We got extra baggy clothes, had Willow in her room before her parents came home, or she got in after they were in bed, she carried a big purse or backpack in front of her as much as possible to hide any evidence once she really started showing. We did our best to hide it, and based on her mom's immediate insistence on an abortion, I'm sure she has had no idea about the pregnancy, let alone how far along Willow is. Then things at school started getting tougher. The councilor at school got some reports that much older guys were taking advantage of high school girls, and seemed to be bent on 'prosecuting those responsible' and I've even been called in three different times with the councilor drilling me with questions about Quil."

"Really?" I asked, shocked to hear for the first time that it had happened more than once.

Claire turned to me and nodded yes before continuing. "We really tried to wait for Brady and Willow to get married until Willow was eighteen, but her birthday is after the baby's due date. We looked into going to Port Angeles, but the laws…Well, it just was just so much easier to go to Oregon. Brady and Willow were able to go a couple of weeks ago to get the marriage license on a day we had off of school. We tried to wait until next week and go the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but Willow's mom started asking questions about her gaining weight, and someone told the councilor about Willow…they just couldn't wait any longer. We figured today was a good day to miss because most of the day was an assembly, so there were no tests or homework assignments given today. Brady and Willow needed Quil and me as witnesses, but more than that, they needed our moral and emotional support. We really tried to be as responsible as we could about everything," Claire emphasized.

"So running off to another state with your friends on an assembly day is supposed to show us that you are being responsible?" Sarah said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Mom," Claire's voice broke a bit so she took a second to clear her throat. "Mom, when Willow's mom found out she was getting married, she packed up all of Willow's belongings. She threatened to put them all out in the street in the rain if we didn't call her with an address of where to send them within twenty minutes of her call. When she found out that Willow was pregnant, she insisted that Willow get an abortion, and she said if Willow doesn't, she'll never speak to Willow again," Claire's voice was heartbreaking, and I could see the sympathy for Willow on Daniel and Sarah's faces.

"She could have come here…" Sarah began to say, but Claire interrupted.

"Mom, Willow loves Brady, and wants to be married to him. If they didn't get married, he would most likely have to go to prison. Since they are married now, their child has the chance of being raised by two parents. Even though Willow is upset about her mom, she kind of knew, from the moment she found out she was pregnant, that saving her baby and losing her relationship with her mother would be the best outcome she could hope for. But she ended up getting to be with Brady, so now it's even better than she had hoped for from the beginning," Claire finished with hope in her voice.

After a short pause, Daniel spoke. "Is that everything you wanted to tell us Claire?" he asked.

Claire shrugged, "I didn't just skip school on some random day to go goof off with friends. I just wanted you to know my side, and that I tried to be as responsible as possible. So, I guess that's all I have to say."

Sarah and Daniel both nodded before Sarah began to speak, "Thank you for explaining. It is noble that you went to such great lengths to help your friend and save a life. However…" In Sarah's pause I could feel the weight of punishment hanging heavy in the air. She continued, "Claire, lying is not acceptable. Since you lied to us about sleeping over at Willow's house, and instead were at a motel…"

"What I said was that I was going to spend the night with Willow, and technically I did, so I didn't really lie," Claire's interruption defended.

Daniel and Sarah both narrowed their eyes at Claire and had matching looks of disbelief. "Still, there will be no more sleepovers from now until when the two of you get married. The only exception to that would be in case we need you to stay with your aunt Emily if your father and I go out of town. Is that understood?" Sarah looked for confirmation.

Claire nodded her head. Willow was the only one she ever had sleepovers with, so this really wouldn't be much of a problem for Claire. Willow was now married and living with Brady, they wouldn't be having any sleepovers anyway.

Memories of Claire's punishment in fifth grade, when she ran away from home for the afternoon, flashed through my head. _Is she really going to get off that easy_? I thought.

"I also called the school this morning, and let them know today was an unexcused absence, and they decided to give you detention for a week. Considering that detention will be almost an hour for hour makeup of all the time you missed, and that you will be making up any work you missed, we think that the school has the consequences for the skipping school covered." Sarah explained.

_Whoa, they went directly to the school for that one._ I tried to think of my schedule and what I would need to change around in order to pick up Claire from detention when Daniel's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"As far as you leaving the state without permission, we don't feel we can trust you with the same freedom as before. You will hand over your driver's license, and will not drive for the next month. You also may not leave La Push for at least the next month unless you are accompanied by you mother or me," Daniel added.

"We also recognize that Quil was a very late and mostly uninformed participant in this little trip of yours…" Sarah's eyes flashed to mine as she spoke. "But nevertheless, it was his car that made the trip, and I'm guessing he wasn't tied up in the backseat the entire way…" I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at this comment as images of Claire and me in the backseat with brownies flashed through my mind.

"So however small, he did participate in this adventure of yours," Daniel added.

"Because of that, Quil, I will be taking Marc and Claire to and from school everyday for the rest of the year," Sarah finished her words hitting me like a wrecking ball in the chest.

I sat there blinking unable to fully process what I wanted to say. I tried to ask about exceptions or possibility for parole, but it was difficult to see through the tears that began to fill my eyes. I wondered what this meant, this was my guaranteed time to see Claire each day. Would I not be able to see Claire on weekdays? I had been driving Claire to and from school since kindergarten. Why did this feel more like a punishment for me than for Claire?

Claire's voice interrupted my thoughts with, "I'm so sorry, Quil." I turned to see her looking at me. She continued to look at me as she asked her parents, "Do you mean the end of the calendar year, or the end of the school year?"

I hadn't even thought of that! If it was the end of the calendar year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks it was only about twenty days of school. My head whipped to Sarah with a look that I am sure was filled with hope.

She did her best not to smile at my reactions and said, "Well, let's see how the next little bit goes. If you can stay out of trouble, maybe it will only need to be to the end of the calendar year. Oh, and for clarification, in case you missed it, for us to be able to know that you are not leaving La Push, you will need to spend your afterschool and weekend hours at home or with us, Claire. Is that understood?" Sarah finished firmly.

"Yes, Mom," Claire confirmed.

"Claire, we love you very much," Daniel said.

"And we think helping your friend to make the best of her tough situation was very noble of you," Sarah added.

"But you still need to live your life with integrity. You need to follow the rules, and do the right things," Daniel stated.

Claire nodded her head and looked pensive for a moment. "Mom, Dad, I really tried my best to do that, but every time I thought of telling one of you about Willow, I was afraid you would tell her parents. It just didn't seem right for Willow to have to get an abortion against her will, or for Brady to have to go to prison when all he wants to do is love and take care of his family." Claire stood up and paced back a forth as she continued. "It just really felt like, given all the possible repercussions of the day, my risk of getting grounded weighed up against Brady and Willow having their happy family… It felt like I was doing the right thing." Claire paused and sat down again. She looked her parents in the eye and humbly and pointedly asked them, "If you were in my position, what would you do to follow the rules, _and_ do the right thing?"

I don't think I've ever seen Claire's parents look more uncomfortable before. Sarah spoke up first. "Yesterday, I probably would have given you an altruistic answer that would have involved telling Willow's parents. After hearing about how they reacted today, I don't know that I could come up with anything different than what you did."

Daniel then answered a different way. "Even when we try to make the best choices, our choices have consequences. Take for instance someone with a medical emergency that requires them to get to the hospital immediately. It may be in their best interest to be raced to the hospital at speeds exceeding the normal speed limits. However, if you are racing to the hospital, and cause an accident due to excessive speeds, that is a natural consequence of your action that can't be undone."

"Not everything can be either all right or all wrong. Some things are muddled somewhere in between and we just have to use our best judgment. We are pleased to see you using wisdom in your choices to make the best decisions you can…But you are still grounded," Sarah finished.

Claire nodded and then got up and hugged her parents. "I knew it was a risk when I helped Willow. I love you guys." Claire then cam over to me and sat on my lap hugging me around the neck. "I'm sorry, Quil. I know you have a lot of fallout from this, and you didn't really get a choice in it."

I kissed the top of her head and joked, "Mmm, six weeks…I think I can wait for you that long," causing everyone to laugh out loud knowing that I both had waited and would wait for Claire much longer than that.


	41. Chapter 41 January

Chapter 41 January

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 41 January

**Engaged **

**2nd week of January 2021**

_**Claire being grounded totally sucked! I am SO glad that is over with! I pretty much lived at Claire**__**'**__**s house every afternoon and even delayed working on the house on weekends to spend time with her. I felt like I was practically going to shrivel up and die from the lack of her touch! There is so much I don**__**'**__**t feel comfortable doing in front of Claire**__**'**__**s parents. I even feel awkward kissing her on the lips! Yet I want to kiss her lips, lick them and have them open to me. To taste her sweet mouth**__**…**_

_"Quil!" I heard from the kitchen._

_Crap! Interrupted again! The only reason I write in this freaking journal is so that I can think through my thoughts without the packs comments or other interruptions. I decided to ignore my mom and continue. _

_**In reality, Claire being grounded only changed a few things I guess. I didn**__**'**__**t get to drive her to and from school for 19 school days. But I still got to see her every day at her house. I just am SO glad that is over with! Tonight will be our first time on a date alone in a little over 2 months! Willow**__**'**__**s baby is due, and like Ariel, Claire has been asked to help. With Willow**__**'**__**s due date less than 2 weeks away, we can**__**'**__**t go far, so we were just going to head over to the house. **_

_**The house - that sure has been on hold for a while! It**__**'**__**s still not even ready for the pre-drywall inspection yet. The plumbing and electrical are done, but all the wiring for internet, cable, and stereo still has to be run. Between work the holidays, and all my free time at Claire**__**'**__**s house, I just haven**__**'**__**t done anything lately**__**…**_

_"Quil, what are you writing?" Claire's angel voice in my doorway startled me and I slammed the laptop shut with a bit too much force. I winced at the thought of damaging my laptop, but noted that I hadn't heard any cracking sounds._

_"Uh, nothing, it's just…nothing important," I answered and tried to distract her by moving off of the bed._

_Claire gave me a quizzical look and moved towards my laptop with a small smirk on her face. "Nothing? If it's nothing, then why don't you let me have a look?" she said as she attempted to reach for my laptop to open it._

_I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder. I knew I had two more minutes to distract her before my laptop would automatically lock. "Claire, being nosey around my computer was not why you came in here. What's up?"_

_She huffed and I felt her relax against my shoulder and back. "Fine, don't tell me, just keep secrets from your future wife. You know, relationships are supposed to be built on trust…" she teased._

_I interrupted her with laughter. "Claire, it's ok to keep surprises a secret until they are revealed. Now, come on, what was your original plan in coming up here?" I asked._

_"I was thinking it would be fun to make popcorn balls. I was thinking that I could make the candy, and you could form them into balls since the heat wouldn't burn or bother your hands. What do you say?" she asked seductively as she could when hanging upside down over my shoulder. She ran her fingers over my back and tried to tempt me into making popcorn balls with her. Her scent was so close to my nose, and her fingers tracing the ridges of muscles on my back were tempting me towards other directions though. _

_I moved Claire down from my shoulder holding her against my chest with one arm under her knees, and one arm behind her upper back. I gazed deeply into her chocolate-brown eyes that exactly matched my own. My breathing started to quicken, and I felt myself drawn to her as if she were my sun; my gravitational pull. I slowly tightened the muscles in my arms, bringing her closer to me. My eyes never left hers as my heart began to race at the anticipation of her lips touching my own. Her arms traced lightly over the muscles of my chest as she slowly worked her arms around my neck and pulled my face towards hers as I was lifting her towards me in anticipation of a passion filled kiss. I could hear her breath quicken, and her heart began to race matching the pace of my own. As our lips touched, it was all heat and fireworks that spread through me so powerfully that the force made my knees weaken and the rest of the world disappear. It was all I could do to stumble back and sit on the edge of my bed. __My bed, in just seven months she will be mine completely!__ I thought. I started to lean back…_

_"_Havin' my baby. What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me. Havin' my baby. What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me." The song played out, and I immediately dropped Claire on the bed and stood up and backed against the wall. The thought of where Claire and I were, and what we were leading to had been brought clearly into focus by that song. I bent over and put my hands on my knees and gasped for breath trying to get myself under control quickly. I looked up to see a frustrated Claire pulling her cell phone out of her pocket.

"Hello, Willow, what's up?" Claire answered the phone, obviously knowing that song was Willow's ring tone. She paused and listed for a while and her demeanor completely changed. Claire went from looking lustful and annoyed, to concerned yet focused. "Sure thing, do you need a ride or should we just meet you at the hospital?" she asked.

It suddenly clicked for me that Willow was in labor. I reached for my dresser, and pulled a clean T-shirt out of one of the drawers. I slipped it on, and put my keys and wallet into my pockets. I turned to see Claire hanging up with Willow and I asked, "So, no popcorn balls today?"

Claire giggled and teased me as she asked "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"

I leaned over her and began tickling her until she was having trouble breathing she was laughing so much. "Hey, you were the one that came up in here talking about popcorn balls. Was that just some code? I thought your intention was actually to get me into the kitchen, not somewhere else." I let up on the tickling so she could catch her breath.

"No…I really did…want your help…in the kitchen…making popcorn balls," she gasped between fits of giggles. Her look suddenly turned intense and she took several deep breaths, her chest heaving with the effort. "I just got distracted by something tastier than candy," she said seductively.

I leaned in to kiss her again, and just as I was about to reach her lips…_"_Havin' my baby. What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me. Havin' my baby. What a lovely way of sayin' what you're thinkin' of me." The song played out again. This time both of us let out an audible groan.

"You know Willow, your baby really has horrible timing!" Claire complained into the phone without even bothering to say hello. She listened for a few seconds and then replied, "Hey, give me a break. I don't care if it is ten in the morning, I got grounded two months ago, thanks to you by the way, and this is the first time we've had time together without parental supervision since then. Oh, and in the mean time you get to do whatever you want whenever you want with your husband! How is that fair? You totally owe me!" Claire said with a tone that was obviously teasing, but she was unable to keep all of the frustration and annoyance out of her voice. She listened to Willow a bit more and then answered, "I know, I know. I'm just jealous that you get to be married and having a baby already, you know that. Just ignore me." Claire listened some more and turned to me giving me a resigned half smile and a shrug.

I leaned over and grabbed her free hand to help her up off the bed. I pulled her into a quick hug and kissed the top of her head. I whispered in her free ear, "It will happen, we just have to wait for our turn."

Claire's shoulders slumped at my comment; she looked into my eyes and gave me a small smile and nodded her reluctant agreement. She looked toward the hallway, and moved towards the door of my room. She answered Willow, "If Quil's mom doesn't have any, we'll stop at the pharmacy on our way over and pick some up. I'm not…I'm in the hallway already, ok?" Claire listened a little longer and then whispered loudly into the phone, "If you want me to have children anywhere close in age to yours, you won't make me watch it!" Claire listened to Willow for another minute and then quickly ended the call with, "Fine. Goodbye."

I was unable to follow the entire conversation, but was immensely curious as to what had transpired, so I asked Claire, "So, what was that all about?"

Claire walked towards the bathroom in the hall, and without looking back at me she grumbled, "Willow told me to stop trying to seduce you and bring her some Tylenol."

I laughed at her comment, "Seduce me…"

Claire turned around and glared at me when I said that. "Why, is the thought of me being able to seduce you that ridiculous of an idea?"

I was completely taken aback. "Were you really trying to seduce me, Claire?"

This time Claire looked a little guilty, and without looking me in the eyes answered with a very quiet, "Maybe."

I put my head in my hands and took a deep breath. I ran my fingers through my short cropped black hair and blew out the air I had held in my lungs. I took another deep breath and resolved to leave it up to Claire. "Claire, I'm not you parent, I'm not the police, I am your soul-mate, and I don't want for us to be playing these games. I was born to make you happy." I paused for a moment to check my resolve, then continued. "Claire, if making love to you now, seven months before our wedding, and breaking your family's rules, the rules we both agreed to follow, is really what you want…then I'll make love to you right now. I'll risk going to jail, I'll risk getting you pregnant. If you want to lower the risk of us getting caught by the school counselor or the police, we could even go get birth control, and then I could make love to you. Claire, if that is really what will make you happy…I'll do whatever you want me to do to," I finished.

Claire stood there looking as if she was trying to determine if I was being serious with her or not. I could tell when she had decided because her features shifted from wary scrutiny to a bit of a glare. "As if I could be happy doing anything after a speech like that!" she said sarcastically and waved her arm at me before she turned into the bathroom to look through the medicine cabinet for some Tylenol.

I didn't follow her into the bathroom. I remained in the hall and answered, "I just want you to be honest with me and not play these games with me. I'm serious though, Claire, if that is what will really make you happy, I'll do it."

Claire roughly grabbed the Tylenol making the pills rattle around in the plastic bottle. She slammed the medicine cabinet shut, but it popped back open. She let out a small huff of air and shut it more gently the second time so the door would remain closed. Then Claire walked out into the hallway, and looked at me studying my facial expressions for several moments before she began to speak. "So if I told you that what would truly make me happy would be to rob a bank with you, would you do that too?"

I looked at her and took her face in my hands, and in all seriousness answered, "Yes, if I really believed it would truly make you happy, I would do anything for you Claire. Even something I didn't agree with, or something I felt was wrong."

Claire face scrunched up in disgust as she said, "Well that's craptacular!"

Rather confused by her reaction I let go of her and questioned, "What?"

"Here I am seventeen and a half and I have to be the moral compass in our relationship? How is this fair?" she complained.

I smirked as I thought of what she used to tell me for years about our ages. "Well, it's only fair seeing as how you _are_ the oldest," I teased.

She burst out laughing at my comment. "Lovely, I wait for years to be older, and this is what I get. Teenage hormones and the sexiest fiancée alive! Lucky me!" she said sarcastically. "Come on, let's go watch Willow give birth. That should be enough incentive for me to stay away from the temptation of sex for at least the next several months."

I shuddered remembering her reaction when Ariel gave birth to Irene. "Just as long as you don't swear off sex forever like you did when we were there for the birth of Ariel and Embry's baby," I answered guiding her to the truck.

"You never know," She said a little too seriously for my comfort as we headed for the hospital to help our friends once again.

**A/N: This has taken me far too long to get out, so I haven't taken the time to have it beta read. If you see anything amiss, please let me know so I can fix it. Thanks!**


	42. Chapter 42 Prom

**A special thanks to Amanda2505 for patiently talking me through this chapter, and then nagging me until I actually wrote it! ;D Love ya, Hon! **

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Mid April 2021**

Chapter 42 Prom

"That is so wrong you disgusting little freak!" I heard Claire shriek from the living room. I walked in from the kitchen in time to hear Marc's response.

"All guys think that, it's not just me," he said in such a matter-of-fact manner that it seemed almost comical in contrast to Claire's freak out.

"You are eleven year old, why are you even thinking about girls at all?" Claire screeched, obviously still very agitated.

"I can't help it if I'm advanced for my age," Marc said with a relaxed shrug.

I reached Claire and put my arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong, Claire? What did he say?" I asked her calmly.

She turned to me, her face still flushed and nose scrunched in disgust. "We were watching some commercial and a girl in a miniskirt bends over to pick something up, and this little freak," she paused to point at Marc, "He said…"

"I said, if she bends over one more inch, and I could do her from behind," Marc interrupted. "Claire's just freaking out because she never realized guys always think that way when a girl bends over in a miniskirt."

Claire whipped her head towards Marc. "Not _all _guys think that way when they see a girl in a miniskirt!" she yelled at him. "Quil, tell him that's not true, and that he's just perverted."

"Well…" I hesitated, I know all guys think that way, but I didn't want her to lower her impression of me, or be too freaked out by other guys.

Claire turned and looked at me, her mouth hung open. "You're telling me_ all_ guys think like that? That _you_ think like that?"

"Claire, I love _you_. It's not like I would ever act on it or anything, it's just random thoughts all guys have that they can't help when they see a girl wearing almost nothing," I said apologetically.

"See, I _told_ you!" Marc taunted at Claire.

"That is SO disgusting! I am totally going to change the design of my prom dress now," Claire said with a shudder as she headed for her room.

"Um, Claire, did you forget we're also babysitting Irene for Embry and Ariel, and Bodie for Brady and Willow?" I asked in a bit of a panic. I didn't want to end up babysitting the three kids all by myself tonight.

"I didn't forget…Ok, maybe I did for a second, but I'm just going to go get my sketch pad and pencils and I'll be right back down," Claire admitted, obviously still flustered from our whole conversation.

Claire stopped and turned around, "I didn't forget...exactly." She let out a large huff, "I just need a minute," she said, and left to go upstairs to collect herself.

I went back into the kitchen and grabbed the popcorn off the counter and brought it into where Mark was watching T.V. I put it on the side table and turned to Mark. "You need to chill out with your 'honest-guy-talk' around your sister," I suggested.

"Yeah, she can't seem to handle the truth," Mark said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, just lighten up on her and share guy talk with the guys," I suggested. He nodded and just then we heard a knock on the door. I went to answer it and it was Brady and Willow with a baby carrier and huge diaper bag.

Claire rushed down the stairs before I even had a chance to greet them and said, "How's my baby boy Bodie?" she cooed into the carrier at their three month old baby.

"Bodie? You named him Bodie?" Mark asked. "Why?"

"Hey, it's a cool name." Brady defended.

"It was either that or Spagarius," Willow muttered with obvious disgust. She glanced over at Brady and shook her head, obviously continuing a previous discussion. "I mean come on, what kind of name is Spagarius anyway?"

"It's a cool name," Brady reiterated. "It's like an ancient Roman warrior name."

"More like some six-year-old was trying to figure out how to say asparagus, or the name of some Veggie Tales character," Willow responded as she handed the baby carrier over to Claire. They went over to the couch and Willow began a long list of instructions for our night of babysitting.

Marc gave his full attention back to the television, and I turned to Brady and asked, "So how have things been going lately?"

Brady seemed actually excited. "To tell you the truth, if I had never heard anything about imprinting, I would swear that Willow was 'the one' you know? I love how fiery she is, and she takes really great care of Bodie when she's home. I've been watching him during the day so she can go to school, and it's really cool. Sam has been great about my schedule with the pack. Also, I really love the idea of potentially having a werewolf son. I totally think that would be the ultimate bonding experience, you know?"

I nodded, but would have to just take his word for it. I knew I had found my soul-mate, and was not willing to give up time with Claire in order for the potential to be in a pack with my son. "So where are you both headed tonight?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject. Claire had told me that she was sewing both her and Willow's prom dresses and that Willow was headed out to buy fabric.

"Oh, you know, just dinner and a few errands that would be easier without the little pup," he answered vaguely. He turned towards the TV in an attempt to deter my line of questions until Willow was ready. "So what game is on tonight?" he started to ask.

"Oh, no you don't," Willow interrupted. "We are going on a date tonight; don't even think of getting sucked into one of your games."

Claire and I laughed at them as Willow grabbed the sleeve of Brady's shirt and pulled him out the door. We called out our goodbyes and barely got Bodie out of the baby carrier when the doorbell rang again. I went to answer it with Claire following behind me holding Bodie. As I opened the door for Embry and Ariel, Irene ran right in the house between my legs.

Without really even looking up at us Embry laughed and said, "Sorry, she wanted a snack, so I gave her a few bowls of Fruit Loops. She's a little hopped up on the sugar at the moment…" His speech and laughter came to an abrupt halt as he stood up from placing Irene down and saw Claire and I. "Wow, it's like some freaky look into the future," He commented looking from me to Claire holding Bodie and back.

"I know, you just can't wait to get big and fat like me," Ariel teased Claire. We all laughed as they handed over the bag of Irene's things and stepped inside for a moment.

"So have you thought of a name yet?" Claire asked Ariel.

"Well, since we know we are going to have a boy this time, I think we should name him Oscar to follow along with our vowel naming theme," Embry stated.

Ariel whipped her head in his direction. "Excuse me, but as a condition of me agreeing to this vowel naming idea, I get to name our children, remember?" Embry hung his head with a bit of a smirk, I knew from reading his mind on patrols that he was trying to wear her down or try to acclimate her to the name. "Actually, the only O name I really like at all is Owen, so that's probably what it will be."

Embry made a face at that name, and I knew he was singing "Oh When the Saints Go Marching In" in his head like he would do on patrol. He said he hated the name Owen because it sounded like the phrase "Oh when" but try as he might, he couldn't get Ariel to change her mind.

Ariel noticed the face and said, "Embry, quit singing that song, or I'm going to break our deal and put Nathan on the birth certificate." She rolled her eyes and turned to me. "So, Quil, how is the house coming along?"

I thought of all the work we had done lately and smiled. "It's actually a bit ahead of schedule. We've passed all the inspections and it's basically complete. Right now we are working on decorative stuff like painting and crown molding. All of the cabinetry and flooring is in," I said with a proud smile.

"Wow, so you're at a point where you could move in then?" Ariel asked surprised at the progress.

"Yeah," I glanced over at Claire who had gone to get Bodie's pacifier out of his diaper bag. "But I'm not moving in until after the wedding." I knew it would be too much temptation to have my own place where no one could interrupt us if we were going to wait to be together until our wedding night. "I think I may set up my office and most of Claire's sewing room before then though."

Ariel nodded her head in understanding. She had an excellent relationship with Claire, and knew how difficult it was for the two of us to be so much in love and be so close, yet so far away from our wedding date still. Ariel turned to Claire and asked, "So Claire, how are your plans for your prom dress coming along?"

Claire let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, after talking to my creepy little brother, I'm back to square one. If I get a second to think tonight, maybe I'll have something to discuss when you get back."

Ariel went over and hugged Claire. "You are brilliant Claire; I know you'll think of something. Well, if we don't leave now, we'll be late for our birthing class. Come on Embry, let's go. See you later!" Ariel called out and kissed Irene goodbye before leaving. Embry followed behind her muttering having to go to school for something they've already done before, and I had to laugh.

The night was very active, and it was a few hours before Irene crashed off her sugar high, but crash she did. One moment she was running around the room in circles; the next she climbed up onto my lap and fell asleep within thirty seconds. Claire had gotten Bodie to sleep, and the four of us were cuddled up on the couch when Claire's parents came home.

"Well, it looks like you two have had an eventful night," Daniel commented to Claire and me. He pulled Marc up off the floor, "Come on, time for you to get a shower and go to bed." He led Marc out of the living room, and Sarah sat down and watched us shaking her head.

"Mom, what are you thinking about?" Claire asked her.

"Oh, just thinking of how fast time passes," she responded thoughtfully. "I was just thinking how if fast time has flown by since it was you who was the two-year-old cuddled up in Quil's lap sleeping."

Claire looked over at me and Irene so tiny in my lap. Her eyes got wide with realization and she asked, "Mom, what … I mean … how could you be ok with Quil spending so much time with me when he was so much older?"

Sarah laughed, "Because once you saw him, you wouldn't have ever been happy without him, and good mothers always do what they can to have their children be truly happy. It's the same reason we are ok with you getting married at eighteen, even though it would be much too young for many other eighteen year old girls. We just know it's the right decision for you."

Claire and I smiled at each other before Claire turned to Sarah and said, "I Love you, Mom."

**Mid May 2021**

Well three days before the prom, the house was completed. I had tried to drag the process out as long as possible, but when Jacob caught me mentally debating between Buttercup Yellow and Daffodil Yellow for one of the extra upstairs bedrooms, he ratted me out to Alice. The next day I went over to the new house to go to work on some web designs and found a completely painted house and Alice there with a smug smile. I asked her why she did it, and she told me it was to preserve the sanity of the rest of Jacob's pack. She also added that she had seen not only the choices I would make, but the colors Claire would change, so she just saved me time by painting them the color that Claire wanted in the first place, freaky vampire pixie.

The dining room was painted in a warm burgundy color, and I had put in an appropriate sized chandelier and dining room table. Of all of the places we could go to eat dinner before the prom, I couldn't think of a better one than our own completed house. This unfortunately left me with the task of cooking. I had thought of asking for Emily's help, but decided I could heat something from frozen that would probably work just as well. I settled on a frozen lasagna, bagged salad, bread from the bakery at the Thriftway, and a dessert of fudge brownies and ice cream topped with crumbled pieces of Symphony bar and caramel sauce. I got everything set up, and set the oven on the automatic timer so that it would shut off at the correct time, even if I was delayed a bit when I picked up Claire. I had everything set up and went to get my tuxedo on. I grabbed the corsage out of the fridge on the way out the door, and headed over to pick up Claire.

I was excited to see Claire. She had been through many revisions of her prom dress before she finally settled on one that she felt comfortable with. She hadn't shown me her designs or finished dress, but I did know that it was made of silk in her favorite shade of pink. She had emphasized how she wanted to feel comfortable, and didn't want to spend the entire night hitching, tucking and pulling at her dress just to keep it in place. I knew she had struggled with the design for more than a week, and she had spent almost every free moment sewing her dress for the last few weeks, so I was rather intrigued to see the results.

When I got to her house and Sarah opened the door, I was in awe. Claire had on a beautiful feminine flowing dress that flattered her body incredibly. It was fitted over her torso, and gently flowed from her hips, the skirt swirling as if she was dancing with every step she took. The sleeves were long, and the neckline showed just the tiniest bit of her collarbone. It was one of the most modest dresses for a prom I had ever seen, yet it was gorgeous. It also looked like it would be a crime to wear that dress and not be dancing.

"Claire," I breathed out more than spoke, "You look amazing!" With that my angel Claire's face lit up with a smile so big it seemed to warm the room, but maybe it just warmed my heart.

"You look pretty fantastic too!" she complimented, raking her eyes up and down checking me out in my tux.

"Time for pictures," Sarah exclaimed as she led us in front of the drapes for a more consistent backdrop than the hallway would offer. She got her camera and instructed us on the various poses she wanted. I gave Claire her corsage of white orchids that went perfectly with her dress, yes I had consulted Alice, and Sarah got a photo of me pinning it to her dress.

"Well, if we are going to make it to dinner on time, we had better head out," I suggested, and led Claire out to the truck. "You chariot awaits my lady," I said as I opened the door for her and helped her into the seat.

Claire giggled and asked, "So where are we going for dinner?"

"It's a new place, just finished, and very exclusive," I hinted as we drove away from her house. I made the almost immediate turn to head to our new house, and Claire looked at me with confusion.

"What's going on? I thought we were going to go for dinner," Claire asked.

"Oh, we are," I answered mysteriously as I pulled into our driveway. The security lights turned on as I pulled in and parked lighting up the driveway and Claire's face.

"Alright," Claire drawled out, obviously suspicious of my actions and intent.

I led her into the house and went through the front door so she wouldn't see the kitchen and the food right away. I had left the lights on so she could see the finished house as we walked in.

Claire gasped as we entered, and froze in place. "Quil," she breathed, "Is it finished?" She looked around in awe taking in all of the little details that had been completed since the last time she was in the house.

I stepped closer and hugged her around her waist from behind and kissed the top of her head before I confirmed, "Yes, my sweet Claire, it's all done."

She jumped as much as she could in my arms and struggled to turn around. "I want to see it; I want to see it all!"

I laughed at her exuberance and suggested, "How about you go look at everything, and I'll get dinner on the table." She nodded and I kissed her deeply before letting her scamper off to investigate. She ran to the stairs and I could hear squeals of delight and the sounds of her jumping up and down in excitement as she discovered each new room. I chuckled to myself. It thrilled me that I could give the love of my life so much joy.

I set dinner on the table and poured the sparkling cider before I called out to Claire. I watched her descend the stairs; she took my breath away. I looked into her eyes and suddenly couldn't remember why she hadn't been able to talk me into marrying her already. _Why exactly aren't we married yet?_ I walked over to meet her and swept her up in my arms and kissed her with a fierce passion that she immediately returned. I held her more than a foot off the floor as we shared our love through that kiss. I transferred her weight slightly and held her with my right arm and moved my left hand up her back through her heavenly hair to the nape of her neck. I tilted her head ever so slightly to deepen the kiss…

Suddenly Claire pushed back off my chest and took a huge breath. "Um, you need to put me down now…ear thing…uh…total ear thing," she managed to get out. I set her down and led her silently to the table. "Quil, this is so amazing!" Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. I can't believe you did all this for me!" I held out her chair, and Claire sat down. As soon as I was seated she asked with surprise and complete awe, "How did you know the exact colors I wanted in the house?"

"Well, Alice did the painting. Apparently Jacob was getting a little tired of my indecision, so he sent Alice over here to 'solve my problem' according to Alice," I replied.

Claire laughed, "Ah, that explains the nursery then."

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, the house stunk of vampire a bit, but fortunately the paint fumes began to take over," I laughed.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and then I brought out dessert. I brought out the full pan of brownies topped with a half gallon of ice cream and the other toppings. I handed Claire a fork and grabbed a serving spoon for myself to use before I sat Claire on my lap to eat with me.

"Just like old times, huh?" Claire asked.

"I'm feeling rather sentimental tonight," I told her softly in her ear. "You know…we could just skip the prom and stay here," I suggested. In some ways I hoped she'd agree, but mostly I was rooting for her to turn me down.

"Quil, I didn't spend months designing and sewing this dress, and get you into that sexy tux, not to show off a bit. We are totally going to the prom!" she stated emphatically.

I smiled, "Yes Ma'am," I teased. We finished our dessert and cleaned up only as much as absolutely needed then left for the dance.

We had a wonderful time showing off and looking incredible. From all the hitching, hiking, pulling and tugging so many of the other girls were doing, it looked as if Claire was the most comfortable female in the room. She told me she was just going for something that wouldn't make her think of her perverted little brother. She said the comfort was just an added bonus. It was nice to visit with so many of Claire's classmates, and the night just flew by. Before we knew it, it was time for the evening to end. I could tell that many of the couples wouldn't exactly be rushing home to share stories of the evening's events with their parents. Most looked way to cozy for school function.

The walk out to the truck was rather quiet and we both seemed to be lost in our thoughts. As I reached for the handle of Claire's door, she put her hand on mine and looked up at me and said, "Quil, why are we waiting? Is it really for us? I mean, we have a big beautiful completed house where no one would bother us…"

I opened the door of the truck and lifted Claire up onto the seat so that she sat sideways facing me with her legs dangling off the seat out of the open door. I took her face in my hands and ran my thumb softly over her lower lip as I struggled between conflicting desires. I took a deep breath and began softly, "Claire, I've waited fifteen years for you. You are special enough to me that I want to make you my wife first. I can wait three more months for you." She smiled at me and sighed blissfully. My lips slowly pulled into a sly grin and I added, "Besides, our love story is far too magical to taint it with something as cliché as losing our virginity on prom night."

Claire giggled and took a deep breath. Without another word she turned to sit properly in her seat and buckled her seatbelt. I shut her door and got into the driver's side. "I can wait three more months…but that better be some amazing wedding night Mr. Ateara," she threatened lightly.

I gave her a huge smug smile and turned her chin towards me. "I promise, it will be a night you'll never forget," I growled in my sexiest voice before letting her go. I watched a shiver run down her spine and chuckled to myself as I turned on the car and drove the short distance to her house. I helped her out of the truck and made sure she was safely inside with one last kiss. I got back to my truck and sighed as I groaned aloud, "Only three more months," as I tried to keep my focus on the goal and not on how incredibly gorgeous Claire looked that night. I took a deep breath and started the truck heading for my place and the coldest shower of my life.

**A/N: SORRY this has taken me so long! Next chapter will be August. I am really intimidated about writing about a wedding like I have never experienced. If anyone has details about traditional Quileute weddings, please share the links or details, because research has been tough! Also, I have been reading a ton of fan fiction, and adding more to my favorites, so if you are looking for suggestions of good stories, try there. Just watch the ratings! ;D**

**Oh, and as always, if there is something that I need to fix, please let me know so I can! Thanks!**


	43. Chapter 43 Claire's 18th Birthday

**Thanks to Amanda2505 or the beta work & for the help able to get something written! (again)**

**OK – I know I promised a wedding chapter, but there was just too much going on not to have Claire's 18****th**** Birthday here.**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**5 August 2021**

Chapter 43 Claire's 18th Birthday

I could have sworn we agreed to have the wedding a couple of weeks after Claire's birthday, but somehow in the last few months all of the details seem to have been foggy and now all the plans appear to be centered around having the wedding ceremony just two days after Claire's birthday. For weeks I have been asking Claire what she wants for her birthday, and her only response has been a seductive, "You." While that's flattering and all, it doesn't help me one bit. So, here I am, four thirty in the morning the day of Claire's birthday with no other gift idea other than our traditional morning wolf ride. We haven't even talked about a ride though, so I'm not even sure if she will be awake or if she wants it. I'm also a little nervous about her reactions as well. Not really that she will react badly, but that she will react too well.

I sat on my bed and debated for another half an hour before finally heading over to Claire's house. I was pleasantly surprised to find her sitting on the back porch waiting for me. When I got closer, I realized she was wearing a form fitting long sleeve T-shirt, leggings, and moccasins. They were all in a chocolate brown color that matched my fur and our eyes. I also noted that the material was rather lightweight and thin. Thin enough for me to see the indentation of her navel and every curve she had. I shook my head trying to get some blood to relocate back to my brain so my speech synapses would fire. "Uh, Claire, we are two days away from our wedding, I really don't think I can handle you wearing that outfit today if we're going to go for a ride," I managed to squeak out.

Claire looked down over her outfit and asked innocently, "What's wrong with it? It's long sleeve, and goes down to my ankles." She stretched out a perfectly sheathed leg for my inspection.

I couldn't help but gawk at her and had to shut my eyes to form a response. "You know what? That would be a perfect outfit for you to wear in a couple of days, but with how thin that material is, and how good my senses are, uh…well, it's getting hard, um difficult to…could you change, please?" I struggled to beg.

Claire had been smirking at me through my awkward little speech. She had realized in the past month just exactly how much power she had over me, and was enjoying toying with using that power. She slowly sauntered up to me and touched her fingertips to my cheekbone before running her fingers down to my jaw. "Of course sweetheart, what ever you want," she purred before kissing me and leaving me utterly stunned as she strutted off to the house, knowing I was watching every sway of her hips.

_Two more days, just two more days!_ I chanted in my head. I paced her backyard waiting for her to change, and suddenly was completely overcome by a flood of memories. I thought of my brave little wolf girl on her seventh birthday, her first wolf-back ride and laughed at the memory. I calmed down as I remembered each year up until this one, laughing at the memories of the daring moves Claire had made over the years. She was definitely fearless when it came to me. I sat on the grass and gazed toward the east to see if I could catch a glimpse of color on the horizon, but the trees and cloud cover were too thick. I smelled the sweet and warm scent of my Claire as she approached, but continued to look at the sky.

"What are you thinking about?" she whispered in my ear. She slowly traced the ridge of my ear with the tip of her tongue before she breathed out, "Me?"

I couldn't stop the shiver that ran down my back at her actions. I turned to her with a huge smile and said, "I'm just stopping to smell the roses." I took my hand and cupped her cheek, drawing her in closer to me. Her lips were glistening with peach lip gloss, a flavor that blended so well with her natural cinnamon essence. I kissed her and she reminded me of a peach cobbler, all warm and spicy. "Mmm, you taste good enough to eat today," I mumbled into her mouth.

"Sorry, we still have two more days before that Mr. Ateara," she teased before standing up and taking a step away from me. She stood with her hands on her hips and a devilish smile gracing her mouth.

I crawled on my hands and knees towards her and growled slightly. She was wearing a much more appropriate pair of thick, loose fitting sweats. "Are you ready Miss Hobucket?" I asked, but couldn't help but chuckle at my question. I have always tried to avoid making fun of Claire's name, but at times it just got to me.

Claire just shook her head at me. She has known me practically her entire life; she knew why I was laughing. "Quil, stop it. I can't help what my name is…Oh, wait, I can!" she said with sudden glee. "How about I change it to Mrs. Ateara the day after tomorrow?" she said lifting one eyebrow at me and grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

I immediately jumped up and ran to her, sweeping her up in my arms and spinning her around. I couldn't help it, the feeling of pure joy that rushed through me at the sound of her using my name as hers left me with a rush of love and happiness. "Well then, future Mrs. Ateara, how about you and I celebrate your birthday this morning with a traditional ride through the forest?" I asked her with my mouth almost on hers.

She kissed me quickly and said excitedly, "Let's run!"

I laughed and let her down. I thought of the couple of times she had peeked and watched me change, and wondered if it would matter too much to me if she were to look today. I wasn't exactly having the easiest time waiting for our wedding, and I knew nakedness would just make things harder…I mean, more difficult, so I slipped behind a tree to change and phase. As I turned around in wolf form to walk back to Claire, I saw her about four trees away in a location where she evidently was watching me. I shook my huge wolf head at her, but couldn't help the smile on my lips.

"I'm sorry…sort of," Claire said as she climbed onto my back. I chuckled and she laughed with me. "I just don't want to be so caught off guard on our wedding night that the nerves ruin everything," she admitted. We rode at an average pace for a few minutes lost in our own thoughts before she leaned over hugged on tighter with her hands and knees. "Quil," she breathed in my ear, automatically causing me to speed up a bit, "I'm ready to go faster now." She blew into my ear and my body automatically responded with speed. Claire wiggled her torso into my moving muscles, and I could still feel every gentle curve of her against me. I raced towards the National Park, and sped up the foothills.

I had a flash of inspiration to watch the sunrise and decided to try and race the dawn to the top of the mountain. Claire snuggled in closer as we rose in altitude. As we entered the thick cloud cover near the top, the world seemed to disappear. It was as if we were the only two beings on the planet, and I thought of phasing underneath Claire and enjoying the morning together. I was a little disappointed as we ran higher and broke through the clouds to see that the sun had already risen at the mountain top. For some reason, most of the magic seemed to have disappeared from the moment, and my hormones were brought back to reality. I continued on to the summit and Claire and I looked out in awe at the sea of pink clouds beneath us.

"Quil, this is amazing! It's like you painted the world my favorite shade of pink for my birthday! Could anything be better than this?" she asked in joy filled wonder.

I pondered my original thought to watch the sunrise, and made a mental note to try this again sometime. I tried to think of appropriate occasions when Claire interrupted my thoughts.

"Quil, I'm so glad you are here to keep me toasty-warm," she whispered in my ear, almost as if she was afraid to break the magical spell the sun had spread over the earth.

Suddenly it clicked; I knew the exact time to come back and watch the sun rise. I had been agonizing over honeymoon plans for months, but nothing seemed to fit for us. Everything was too fancy, too far away, or even too hot. The married werewolves of my acquaintance, and even a couple of their wives, all had warned me of the heat of being together. Not just the normal heat, but the extra-high werewolf body temperature heat. I decided to take a clue from Edward and Bella's honeymoon and use nature as my ally in helping make my new bride comfortable.

I quickly did a mental check to see that I was still alone with my thoughts, and began to plan. I would get Alice or Nessie to help me set up an elegant honeymoon tent in the National Park. I could make sure it was set up at a high enough elevation where Claire would be assured to be freezing if she weren't pressed up against me. I grinned at the thought. I turned to head back home, and continued to formulate and refine my plan the entire way down the mountain.

By the time we reached the place for me to phase, I was almost surprised to feel Claire still on my back. I had mentally created a checklist that seemed a mile long of things I needed to do to get a honeymoon set up in the middle of nowhere. I needed some super powered help, and I knew it. I didn't just need one vampire's help, I needed half a dozen with all the plans I had created! I was so full of excitement I circled the tiny clearing a couple of times before kneeling for Claire to get down.

Claire burst into laughter. She hopped down off my back and scratched behind my ears. "It always cracks me up when you do something like that, Quil! You are so cute, I love you," she said as she turned and walked out of the trees towards her backyard. I was so preoccupied with what I had been thinking that it hadn't even occurred to me that I had circled like a dog does before it lays down. The thought made me burst with laughter, and I was still chuckling as I entered Claire's kitchen for her standard birthday morning breakfast with the family.

Claire could tell I was anxious or excited, well, everyone could tell that I was. We made it through the breakfast that Sarah and Emily had prepared, and the cake had been served when Claire finally turned to me and said, "Quil, I love you…but you're driving me nuts." She put her hand on my chest and kissed me, then said, "Quil, whatever it is that you need to do, please, go take care of it before we all go crazy from the tapping and pacing." She gave me a huge smile and touched the tip of my nose before turning back to her mother and sister and their discussion of final wedding plans.

I couldn't help it, I was so ecstatic to finally know what to do about the honeymoon that I raced out of there and drove full speed to the Cullen's house. Alice and Jasper and Edward and Bella were all there visiting Jacob and Nessie and to help us celebrate our wedding. I was so excited to finally have a plan that I hadn't really thought about their need to remain incognito while in the West End, or Forks / La Push area. Once I described my plan to Alice, Bella, and Nessie they assured me that they would help me get it done, and that I should leave it up to them. Nessie also gave me her promise that she would try to keep the location a secret so that we wouldn't get pranks from random pack members.

I left feeling more confident and calm now that the plans were in place. I headed back to La Push and checked on our house. I had moved in officially as of yesterday, with only a few tears from my mom. I tried to remind her that she had me there at home several years longer than most moms, but she just assured me she would be missing me no matter when I would have moved. I double checked my mom's house for anything important I had left behind, and once I was sure I had gotten everything, I hugged my mom, and headed back to Claire.

"So, care to tell me what you have been up to the majority of this, my eighteenth birthday?" Claire asked with a playful smirk.

"Nope, you'll just have to wait a couple more days," I grinned back and kissed the top of her head. "Are you about ready to go to the bonfire?" I asked Claire.

"Almost, I have a few more things I'd like to take over to the house. Can we make a trip to drop a few things off and then head down to the beach? Also, I'd like to check the closet for my hoodie, I can't seem to find it here and I think it might be over there at our house." She finished and looked up to see me beaming with joy and stopped an asked, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I leaned over and kissed her cheek then continued to kiss over to her ear before telling her, "You said 'our house' and I just really like it when you say that."

We both stood there grinning at each other like idiots for a few moments until we heard the sound of the front door shut. It seemed to snap us out of our love-hazed stupor and back to the task at hand. I grabbed the three boxes Claire had ready to go, and headed for the truck. We managed to make the trip to and from our house without major incident, and headed to the beach. When we arrived, I was in shock! It looked as if all of La Push was at the beach for Claire's eighteenth birthday bonfire.

I turned to Claire and asked her, "How about a lift to the party?" Without waiting for an answer, I swung her up onto my back.

She let out a small squeak of delight as she moved through the air, and then swiftly wrapped her arms around my neck and legs around my waist. "I'm glad I'm wearing jeans tonight, otherwise that could have been quite the show," she told me in my ear as I climbed over the massive driftwood trees surrounding First Beach.

"Yeah, good thing," I admitted.

We reached the beach and were immediately greeted with welcoming hugs and greetings. We were able to spend hours eating and visiting with old friends. Claire got more presents for this one birthday than she had received in all her other birthdays combined, and many of them seemed to be typical wedding gifts. The party lasted late into the night, but by eleven thirty most of the families had gone home.

I sat holding Claire in my lap as we gazed into the fire. "So, did you have a nice birthday?" I asked her, feeling very relaxed as I rubbed my hands along her arms.

"Mmm, yes I did," she purred. "I only know of one thing that could make it better," she hinted as she snuggled deeper into my lap.

"Claire," I moaned in exacerbation, "Please don't tempt me more than you are already just by being you," I begged as I rested my chin on her head.

Claire squirmed in my lap trying to face me before she gave up with a huff and faced the fire again. "Quil, I'm eighteen now, you won't get in trouble. Besides, it's past midnight, which means we are getting married in…" She paused to check her watch. "Less than thirty-four hours. We could go back to our house and be completely alone, no one would have to know," she continued.

"Claire, I'm a werewolf, everyone would know as soon as I phased," I reminded her. "Besides, like you said, we only have thirty-four more hours, we can make it. We can keep the promise we made."

Claire let out a sharp breath of frustration. "I think you still see me as a child," she said obviously trying a different tactic.

I slowly ran my hands up the sides of her torso and listened to her breathing become rapid. I moved my hands a little forward so the hinted at the possibility of touching her places I hadn't touched her before. I knew I was teasing her, but this was a high stakes game, and I wasn't about to lose with our wedding so close. I leaned in and whispered, "Claire, should we go now, or should we get all your presents in the truck first?" I heard her heart rate speed up and felt her breathing become shallow. I was a bit worried she might pass out. I decided to help bring her back from the brink. "I think you are pushing so much because you know I will tell you not tonight. I think if you really thought us making love tonight was a possibility, that you would be even more nervous than you are right now."

"I'm not nervous," Claire insisted shaking her head to try and emphasize her point.

I just chuckled in response, and let her believe she was fooling me. I leaned over and breathe in her intoxicating scent that always made me feel I was home. It's incredible to believe that after more than fifteen years, we were less than thirty-four hours away! Now my heart rate began to quicken.


	44. Chapter 44 The Wedding

**Thanks to HinataMorningstar for all the help with the Blackfoot tribal information which I was able to morph with the Quileute information to actually be able to get something written!**

**Thanks to Amanda2505 & HinataMorningstar for beta work on this chapter.**

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**5-7 August 2021**

Chapter 44 The Wedding

I wasn't exactly sure what I had previously planned to do to keep myself occupied on the day before Claire's and my wedding, but now I was in a mad rush to get everything set up in the mountains for our wedding night. I had several ideas, but with less than one day to accomplish it all, I needed the help of someone who knew how to plan things on a grand scale. That is how I found myself in my truck, on my way to meet with Alice. I had called her to let her know I wanted to meet with her, but couldn't go into details without spoiling the surprise for Claire. I pulled up to the Cullen's house and found Alice bouncing on the porch.

Before I was even fully out of the truck, she was headed over to me and asked, "Quil, would you now please explain to me why my entire day's schedule disappeared when you called? Your wedding is in twenty-six hours, what on earth do you need my help with today? Is it something to do with the wedding?" Alice asked hopefully as she bounced in apparent excitement and frustration.

"Well, I actually need some help arranging a few things for the honeymoon. I had something planned, but I realized Claire will be much more comfortable if we go somewhere more private and cold." I paused for a moment the added, "Think Edward and Bella's honeymoon, but cold instead of hot. I was thinking not too far from here, up in the mountains." I pointed towards the mountains to the east of us that were currently obscured by cloud cover.

"I know just the spot you're thinking about because there is a big blank spot near the top of the mountain…but, there isn't a cabin up there." Alice looked at me suspiciously as she asked, "You weren't thinking of taking Claire camping for your honeymoon were you?"

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Well, not camping…per se…" I cleared my throat and proceeded. I want to stay in a tent, but not some two-man dome tent or anything like that, more like a nice party type tent. Maybe like a white one? And I'm not comfortable with the idea of an air mattress either, so I was wondering if maybe you would also help me to get a real mattress up there?" I stopped to gather my thoughts so I could explain better what I envisioned. "I want it to look like a honeymoon suite when Claire walks inside, but I don't want the tent to be too obvious from the outside. Is that even possible?" I asked Alice and held my breath awaiting her answer.

She squealed with delight, "Oh, I know just what to do! I wish you didn't block me so I could see how it all turns out, but…hey, how about I get things ready, and you promise not to go up there before noon," she suggested, deep in thought as she leaned against the side of my truck.

"I need to get a bunch of food, so I'll meet you there just after noon," I agreed.

"That's perfect, I can _see_ it now! Of course, it disappears at noon, but that gives me four hours to set up. That isn't very much time, so I need to get working right away. You go get the food you need. It will be cold enough to keep your refrigerated items in a cooler, by the way," she said informed me.

"Thanks so much for your help Alice. Oh, and remember, her favorite color is pink; I'm doing this for her, so feel free to make it look girly."

Alice giggled and sent me on my way to gather our food for the week we would spend on our honeymoon. It took me a while to plan enough to eat and the ways to prepare for what meals needed to be heated or chilled.

By quarter to noon I had everything packed in the back of my truck. I debated on the way to the store about getting help to carry the supplies and decided that I'd rather make several trips myself and keep the secrecy of where we would be staying. I took the first load up without phasing and met Alice and her husband Jasper just outside of the small clearing I had picked out.

"Were you able to find a tent?" I asked, looking around and not seeing anything immediately popping out at me.

Alice laughed and bounced saying "Jasper, you're a genius! We're not even 20 feet away from it and he doesn't see it!"

I scanned the area more closely and straight in front of me saw a camouflaged bit of forest-colored fabric. "Is that it?" I asked as I pointed in the direction of the bit of fabric I saw.

"Yes, we wanted to give you some privacy. Come on, let me show you," Alice insisted with Jasper shadowing silently behind her.

As we neared the tent, I could tell that it was some fort of large military type tent that was obviously made for concealment. When we went inside, it was the opposite of what was on the outside. Alice had draped light pink satin fabric from the center point of the ceiling to the edges of the tent and down the walls. Every few feet there we strings of tiny white lights that matched the drapes of the fabric and met in the middle of the ceiling where there was a small but beautiful chandelier.

"We ran the electricity from an ultra high power solar generator set just above the tree line so you won't have to worry about cloud cover." Jasper informed me.

"He's going to be on his honeymoon, he won't be worried about a generator. Here Quil, let me show you all the details." Alice showed me a California King sized bed with bedding I'm sure Claire would love, a small cabinet for food and dishes, and a dresser for clothing. We then went outside and she showed me a second tent set up with a sink for cleaning up and next to that another small tent that was a toilet.

"Alice, you are brilliant, you thought of everything!" I complimented.

"I know, thanks. Oh, and the hot springs are just down that trail there to the north-west, and there is a small pond about a mile south-south-east of here. Those should work for any bathing needs the two of you may have," she finished with a smug smile.

"That's perfect. Hey, how did you get that huge king sized bed up here anyway?" I asked.

Alice and Jasper both laughed and Jasper answered. "Well, the weight and balance obviously weren't problems for us, but weaving through between the trees was a little difficult due to the denseness of the forest. So I climbed to the top of a tree, and Alice tossed me the mattress. Then she climbed up a tree a god throwing distance away, and I tossed it to her. We just kept it up until we got it here. We just had to keep an eye out for airplanes."

"Which wasn't really a problem since there weren't any wolves around at the time," Alice added. I could tell she was slightly frustrated by her current state of mental blindness. "Quil, try not to ruin anything, ok? That way we can keep this up as a little local mountain retreat. The area is remote enough to avoid any unwelcome visitors."

"Excellent, that's exactly what I wanted to hear!" I said with a huge grin. There was nothing I wanted more on my honeymoon than alone time with Claire. My thoughts drifted for a moment or two when they were interrupted by the pair in front of me.

Alice giggled and Jasper snickered as he said, "Good thing you are getting married tomorrow! This is the most anticipation I've felt off of anyone in a long time, and that is truly saying something."

"No kidding," I responded dryly. I glanced down at my watch to see how many more hours I had until the wedding, and was shocked to see it was already well past one in the afternoon. "Oh man, I really need to get that food up here, I still need to go home and change so Claire and I can go sing to everyone."

"Sing to everyone? Why are you two going to be singing?" Alice asked.

I stood in shock for a moment before answering. "Wow, I'm so used to all of you being such know-it-alls that I forget that you don't really know that much about La Push or the tribal customs and traditions. Claire and I really want to have a traditional Quileute wedding. One of the traditional parts of the wedding proceedings is that the day before the wedding, the bride and groom travel from house to house singing songs and inviting everyone to the wedding the next day."

"That actually sounds pretty nice, is there a specific song that you sing?" Alice inquired.

"Not really, I mean, there might have been one at some point ages ago, but now we just sing anything we want to sing. I really do need to head down to my truck and get the rest of that food though; I'm running short on time," I said with another worried glance at the time.

"How about we race you down to your truck then?" Alice asked. She and Jasper immediately took off like a bullet from a gun.

I debated the idea of phasing but decided just to run instead. I'd let the vampires make two trips and "win" I was alright with that idea. I ran down the mountain to my truck, and halfway there snagged the sleeve of my shirt on a branch ripping a hole in it. I muttered under my breath at the fact that I would need to go back and get a change of clothes. I was still muttering to myself as I reached the truck.

"Why are you so worried and nervous all of the sudden? Having second thoughts about the wedding night?" Jasper teased as he hung the bags of food onto his arms.

I felt my face get even hotter than its normal blazing temperature, and stuttered through my response as I was still trying to figure out a solution to my dilemma. "What? No, nah I just ripped my shirt and realized I don't have a plan for clothes, towels, toothbrushes, or anything like that. I'm not even sure how to get Claire's clothes here without her knowing. I don't really even have time to pack and get things up here before tomorrow," I lamented.

"So, what you're saying…is that it will really help if someone else were to get clothes for you and Claire and get them up to the tent, right?" Alice asked with a tone in her voice that let me know she was up to something.

"Uh, yeah…" I answered warily.

"So it would be helpful to you if I were to go shopping and set you two up with a week's worth of clothing and toiletries…" Alice said in that same sneaky vamp tone.

"Alice, you two have already done so much, really, you don't have to go buy us clothes," I insisted.

Japer laughed out loud. "I don't think you realize how happy you have just made Alice by giving her a legitimate excuse to go buy the two of you clothing. She lives for this!"

"I do, I really, really do! _Please_ let me go shopping for you and Claire," Alice begged.

It took almost everything I had not to laugh out loud, but I held my breath and counted in my head, mostly to see Alice squirm. "Oh, alright, I guess you can get us some clothing for our honeymoon," I tried to say grudgingly, but I think the small smirk I couldn't hold back might have given me away.

"Yay! Come on, Jasper; let's hurry so we can go shopping!" Alice announced with delight, and she sped off up the mountain with her arms full of food.

Jasper turned to me and asked, "What has you so confused?"

"I was just wondering how you deal with that much shopping," I said incredulously.

"It's not really about the shopping for me. I live in a climate of emotion everyday; when Alice is happy, I am happy. When she is shopping, Alice is focused, happy, satisfied, and often excited. I literally feel what she feels, so I always encourage anything that would make her feel happy, satisfied, and excited. Besides, with her gambling and stock predicting skills, it's not like we'd ever run out of money." I nodded in agreement and he continued, "Hey, thanks for thinking of Alice to help with this, she has to hold back so much when it comes to most people; it's really nice for her to be able to just totally let loose and do what she loves. Besides, even though she is slightly frustrated at not being able to see everything, she is really enjoying the challenge of 'working blind' so to speak." Just then Alice came back and scolded us for not following her with our loads of food.

"You two are still here? I've already been up and back and put everything away when I was up there. By the way, you realize that you are only going to be up there for five days, right? Why do you need all of that syrup?" she asked. I couldn't stop the immediate blush I felt coming on. "Oh," she sang out knowingly. "Here, Quil, let me get what you have and Jasper and I will just finish up here," Alice instructed as she too the bags from my arms.

"Sorry about that Alice. Thanks so much for doing all of this, I know Claire is going to love it all, it's perfect," I said with my best smile.

Alice lit up like Christmas tree, "You're welcome. I'm having a blast! I may even throw in a nice little something or two for Claire to wear," she said with a wink. "Now you better get going so you don't make Claire suspicious of anything," she insisted.

"Ok, I'm out!" I called as I climbed into my truck and headed back to my new house in La Push. I looked at the clock and was pleased to still have an hour before I needed to meet Claire. My mobile phone beeped as I neared the reservation and was back into service range. I smiled at the thought of only being able to be in contact via wolf form over the next week. I checked to see that Claire had sent me a couple of text messages. I would definitely be checking those messages the first thing when I got home.

I walked in the door and hardly had it closed before I was reading the messages from Claire telling me she loved me, was thinking of me, and that she missed me. I decided to give her a call. I dialed the number and heard her answer. Just the sound of her voice made my heart begin to race and left me feeling as if I were floating.

"Quil, I missed talking to you this morning. Did you have your phone off?" Claire asked.

"Just for a while," I answered vaguely. "Are you about ready to go singing with me, my future wolf wife?" I asked with a gin spread over my face.

"Yes, I've been ready for about twenty minutes, so I started to make a list of everyone we need to go singing to, so we don't accidentally forget anyone."

"I still need to shower and change, but it shouldn't take me too long. Hey, do you think you could put my grandpa's name on that list? I'd like to sing at his grave to invite him as well," I said calmly.

"I think that's a great idea. I'm writing his name right now," she responded softly.

"Oh, I'm also a little worried about some pranks certain pack members think would be funny. Do you think you could have your honeymoon bag ready to go so I could put it and mine in a safe place until it's time for us to go?" I asked with sudden inspiration. I now had an idea of how to make sure she had the things she wanted with her for our little trip without having to carry them in my mouth.

"Sure, no problem, that will give me something to do while you shower. Besides, I am so excited, and this will make it feel all the more real." Claire paused and I could hear her taking a deep breath. "Well, the sooner we get done, the sooner we can be together…" Claire drifted off.

I chuckled, "I can't wait to see you too. I love you, Claire."

"I love you too, Quil," she spoke before we both hung up our phones without further ceremony.

I raced to the shower and got ready as quickly as I could, anxious to get to my Claire. I threw a few vital essentials into a bag, things that Alice couldn't get for me like the shorts Claire had made for me. I also put in a few things that there was no way I wanted to risk being without, even if Alice's shopping would mean there were doubles of a few things, there were some things I just wasn't about to leave too chance. As soon as I was done I headed for Claire's I was thankful that it was a rather mild day with only partial clouds and no rain. We would be walking for the most part since everyone's houses were so close together, and most of the reservation knew us and were invited to our wedding. I parked at Claire's house and she came out with her bag. I locked it up in the truck and asked her, "Ok, are you ready to invite everyone to celebrate with us?"

Claire giggled and took my hand. "I'm ready if you are," she told me and pulled out her list. "I wrote everyone down from the list of announcements we sent out, and then organized it by address. I figured we'd begin next door, and make our way around to the Black's house first," she suggested.

"Sounds good to me," I told her, smiling and squeezing her hand gently in my own. We sang random traditional nursery rhyme type songs for the first few houses, but when we got to the Black's house, and Jake answered the door, I instantly knew the song we should sing to him. I whispered my suggestion to Claire, and she agreed but with a bit of confusion. Jake called everyone currently at the house to the door and we began to sing, "I love you, you love me…"

Jake instantly burst into laughter, "The Barney theme song? I should have known!"

After we were done at the Black's and we were headed to the next house Claire asked, "What was that all about? There obviously was some significance behind you choosing that song."

"Well, for a couple of years you were kind of into Barney, so I obviously learned the song. The pack would tease me about it when we were on patrols, so I used to sing the Barney theme song in my head over and over for hours to get back at them," I said smugly.

Claire burst into giggles and hugged me around the waist. "You are so funny! I love you, there really couldn't be anyone better for me than you," Claire said with satisfaction and stood up on her tip toes to kiss me sweetly.

I scooped her up in my arms and kissed her more deeply on the lips before turning my head and nuzzling at her ear. "I feel exactly the same way," I whispered before setting her down and asking her if we were finished with this group of houses. She said that we were, so I suggested taking the truck up to the cemetery, then down to the store to continue from there. She agreed and we made our way to the cemetery.

While many people think of cemeteries as creepy or sullen places, I always feel at peace when I go there. We got out of the truck silently, with a reverence that we didn't have just moments before. In all of La Push, this was probably my favorite place, this tiny little cemetery half way between the school and First Beach. For how centrally located it was, it was amazingly secluded, the dense forest made sure of that. I walked over to Claire and took her hand. We walked past familiar headstones proclaiming the names of Quileutes who had lived and died here in La Push, names like Payne, Hobucket, Black, and finally to one that read Ateara. I released Claire's hand and knelt in front of my grandfather's headstone and respectfully wiped it clean of any leaves and moss. I felt Claire standing behind me a little to my left, and she gently rested her right hand on my left shoulder without a word. I took a deep breath, and in a gentle baritone that sounded oddly familiar to my Grandfather's voice, I began to sing a traditional Quileute song that he had sung to me as a child. Claire's sweet soprano soon joined me, and tears flowed down my cheeks at the love we had for our people, a love my grandfather had instilled in me as a child. We ended the chanting melody and were silent for a few moments before I decided to address my grandfather.

"Grandfather, I know you can not be with us in person tomorrow," my voice cracked and I felt Claire squeeze my shoulder reassuringly before I continued. "We just wanted to let you know that you are welcome, and we wish you were here to celebrate this next step in our lives with us." I paused, and couldn't think of anything else to say other than, "We miss you. We love you." I felt the tears roll down my face, and wiped them with the back of my hand before standing and turning to Claire. She also had tears glistening in her eyes.

"Your grandfather was really the one to help me see just how special the love we share really is, and what a rare thing we share," she said quietly with the edges of her mouth turning up gently into a smile. I hugged her and pulled her into my arms so that her feet dangled in the air a foot off the ground.

A few moments later I slowly walked us back to the truck before setting her down and asking softly, "Are you ready to finish singing?" Claire nodded and we spent the next several hours singing and chatting with what seemed to be everyone in La Push before we finally went into the River's Edge restaurant to sing to the last of the people on our list and have some dinner.

"Hi Willow," Claire called out as we entered. "Brady told us you were working this evening."

"Ah, come to embarrass yourself in a public place? Are you going to _sing_ for your supper?" she teased. Willow was Claire's best friend, and knew her plans, but was evidently rubbing it in for the few tourists in there for dinner. We decided on a quick rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" just to get it over with and sat down at a nearby booth to eat dinner. Willow handed us each a menu before asking, "So, how much time do you have left as a single woman, Claire?"

Claire glanced down at her watch before breaking into a beaming smile, "Well, it's eight right now, so we have only fourteen hours left!" she squealed with delight. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face either, and Willow decided it was her responsibility to tease us about it all through dinner and into dessert. The pie was brought, and Claire knowingly slid her fork underneath to check the "doneness" of the pie. "I think I'll just eat a bite or two of the filling," Claire said with a huge grin.

"That bad?" I asked her and checked the underneath the pie myself. The crust was overcooked and such a deep brown it was nearly black on the bottom. I chuckled, "Well, if I want excellent food in La Push, I go to you or one of the other women in your family," Claire looked at me with a grin so big it looked like she was hold back a laugh, so I decided to push her over the edge by saying, "Skye excluded." That did it, she burst into giggles so hard that she fell side ways on the bench of the booth and began to giggle even harder. A few of the people in the restaurant began to stare, so I decided to wolf down the pie in a couple of bites and head out. I held up Claire, who now had a raging case of the giggles, as I paid at the register and we said our goodbyes to Willow.

We got into the truck, and headed the fifteen miles out to the Cullen's place, the last house on our list of people to sing to that night. I figured it made sense to save the house where no one sleeps for the last visit of the evening. Besides, I needed to "accidentally" forget our bags there so Alice could run them up to the tent. Claire continued her giggle fit for several minutes after we started driving, but eventually calmed down enough to talk.

"So, is Skye's cooking really that bad, or is everything finally getting to you?" I asked Claire glancing at her from the corner of my eye.

She chuckled and answered, "I didn't get much sleep last night; I was up rather late finishing up the last of the beading, but Skye really does suck at cooking." We both laughed at that.

I was thankful that Claire got so much enjoyment out of being domestic. I knew it would make it easier for the life that we chose to live. Claire just seemed perfectly suited to being a wife, a mother, a homemaker, and living in a small quiet place her whole life. While many dream of adventures in far of lands, my Claire lived to make La Push her home, and to make her life and the lives of those around her comfortable in that home. I paused in my thoughts and inhaled deeply through my nose. Claire looked quizzically at me. I gave her the biggest grin I had before answering her unspoken question, "I'm just stopping to smell the roses."

"Okay…" Claire drawled out before giggling again. I loved to see her laugh, so I inhaled deeply through my nose again. Unfortunately we had just turned onto the Cullen's long driveway, and all I got was a whiff full of vampire. The sickly sweet smell stung my nose and I coughed and sputtered. "Not roses this time?" Claire asked.

"No, I got a nose full of vampire that time," I admitted grudgingly.

I saw her tense for a moment before she looked around and noticed we were almost to the Cullen's house. "Oh, friendly vampires," she commented.

I burst out laughing at that. The idea of friendly vampires seemed so ridiculous on one hand, but on the other, I trusted them with my life, asked them for help, and was about to invite them to our wedding. "Yup, never imagined when I first became a werewolf that I would agree to that statement, but they really are our friends." I pulled up to the house just then and parked the truck. "Are you ready for this song?" I asked. Claire nodded and we headed to the door ready to sing a song from Disney's "The Three Little Pigs". The door opened and there stood the Edward, Bella, Nessie, Jake, Alice and Jasper. Edward already had a smirk on his face, but the others were just waiting, and we began:

**Who's afraid of the big bad wolf  
Big bad wolf, big bad wolf?  
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?  
Tra la la la la**

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf  
Big bad wolf, big bad wolf?  
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?  
Tra la la la la

They all immediately burst into laughter, and were laughing so hard we couldn't even get to the part where we could sing about the gay pig that blew his flute. I was actually a little disappointed, but as I thought about it, Edward laughed again, so at least one of them enjoyed it.

"I did, very much, thank you," Edward answered my thoughts and held the door open for us to come in. We entered and got through the formalities of inviting them to a wedding that none but Jacob and Nessie would be able to attend. Claire excused herself to go use the restroom, and it gave me the time I need to pull Alice aside and give her our bags from the back of the truck. She assured me that she had everything set up already, and would add this to it. I was sure she was going to go through it all, and while I was a little embarrassed, I was thankful someone was there to double check my work in case I had forgotten anything. Alice assured me that even without her visions; she knew enough of what women like to know that Claire would love this grand romantic gesture as she called it. Thankfully, I was back to the living room before Claire, and after chatting for half an hour or so we headed back to Claire's house.

"So, this is it, our last night apart," I said feeling nostalgic and excited at the same time.

It was Claire's turn to take a deep breath. "I know, it's almost ten, we have just over twelve hours to go, and then I get to finally be Mrs. Claire Ateara," she said with a smile so big it looked as if it might hurt her cheeks. I reached out and took her tiny hand in mine. "I just don't know how I am ever going to sleep tonight!" she exclaimed.

"Me either," I said, sure for once that I would have just as difficult time as Claire in getting to sleep, and staying asleep for the night. We chatted about little things and fun memories as we continued to her house. I pulled into the driveway and said, "Well, I better leave you off here. I'm not sure I could handle the temptation of saying goodnight to you at the door, and still be able to keep all of our promises until the morning." I gave her a wink and she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me passionately. I wrapped my arms around her, sliding one into her hair, and the other around her waist before pulling her onto my lap. I was beginning to get lost in the kiss when I vaguely noticed additional light coming from the Hobucket house. We ignored it as Claire moved to straddle me, squeezing in between myself and the steering wheel. I distantly heard the ringing of cell phones, but Claire's hands in my hair made me forget my name let alone that I was the owner of a phone. The sound of a fist pounding on glass inches from my head did however get my attention enough to break away from Claire.

I turned to see Daniel just on the other side of the window with a look that appeared to be a mix of amusement and frustration. He opened the door of the truck while he said, "Alright you two, I know you're getting married tomorrow, but you aren't married yet, so come on Claire. You've said enough of a goodnight, come inside and pretend to sleep for at least four hours."

I had to laugh at the way he had put that, and lifted Claire down to the ground next to her father. "I love you, Claire," I whispered in her ear. "Goodnight," I said loud enough for both of them to hear.

"Goodnight, I love you, see you in the morning!" Claire called out before prancing into her house with her dad.

I drove to my new house, the house that in less than twelve hours would be our house. I parked and walked inside to a house that would hopefully never feel this empty again. I headed straight for the master bedroom, tossing all my clothes in the hamper and pulling on a pair of shorts before collapsing onto the bed. I realized that the emotionally charged atmosphere of the day, combined with all of the physical exertion and mental strain actually had me more tired than I had been since becoming a werewolf. I quickly set the alarm clock, and was asleep in a matter of minutes.

I woke what felt like seconds later to the sound of my mobile phone ringing. I grabbed for it without looking up and answered with a gruff and tired, "What?"

"Oh, nothing much, just wondering if you were still planning your surprise for the wedding today," the sound of Embry's teasing voice was unmistakable.

"Today? What time is it?" I asked, sure in my head that it was still the middle of the night.

"It's five in the morning, your wedding is in five hours. If we are going to have time to get this done, and make our appointment, we need to go now," he said in a voice that was serious enough for me to believe him and get my heart pumping.

"I'll be right out," I proclaimed before hanging up the phone. I quickly jumped up and threw on a T-shirt. I raced down the stairs and out thee door and hopped into Embry's truck. He handed me something warm wrapped in a paper towel and pulled out of the drive and headed to Port Angeles. "What is this?" I asked Embry while I slowly unwrapped the paper towel from the warmth in my hand.

"Ariel made pan sized fry bread and filled it with a dozen scrambled eggs and half a pound of melted cheese and some salsa. I finished mine on the way over here. If you want to eat yours, you better hurry, or else you might need to fight me for it, it was good!" he exclaimed. I hurried and ate the delicious breakfast and we teased and joked all the way to Port Angeles. We pulled in front of the dinky little shop, and Embry asked, "Are you sure about this? I might be painful."

I blew him off with a comment of, "If I can handle a swipe from a werewolf, I can handle a little tattoo." With that we were out of the truck and into the tattoo parlor. The tattoo artist followed my instructions so that around my left ring finger it read "Claire's Husband" in a bold angular script with some simple, traditional tribal designs around it and borders of straight bands to make it look as if I was wearing an intricately carved black wedding ring.

"Wow, that looks even better than I thought it would!" Embry exclaimed. "I think we might just be starting the latest trend here."

I nodded and got up to let Embry take his turn. "I think you might be right, this does look great!" I answered.

Embry let the artist know to put "Ariel's Husband" on his finger, and the buzz of the needle began once again. The tattoos were placed so that our wives' names were visible on the top of our fingers. I watched the healing process on my finger while Embry got his tattoo. I was a little nervous to see if the werewolf healing would push the ink out of the skin, basically undoing the tattoo, but was pleased to see that it stayed. The pink irritation that most people experience for a couple of weeks or more was gone in mere minutes, and by the time we paid and left, I knew it would be permanent. In the car we removed the white bandages, and replaced them with a bit of skin colored medical tape to hide the evidence until the time of the reveal. The ride home went by rather quickly as Embry tried the entire way to get me to give up details of our honeymoon plans.

We reached home right about nine, with just an hour to get into my traditional outfit made of buckskins called cedar regalia and head down to the shaker church for our wedding. I dressed in the traditional dress of my ancestors, and was very grateful for an imprint that bonded me to my past as much as my present and future. I solemnly looked in the mirror wishing my hair were longer so that it would look more proper with my clothes. I picked up the gift for Claire's father, and headed to the church. I entered in my cedar regalia with my bare feet, and felt the magnitude of the occasion. I sat thinking of the years Claire and I had spent together. I was nervous, but not exactly sure why. This was my Claire, I knew she loved me, and this is what I wanted.

Family members and members of the two Quileute packs entered in the traditional clothing of our people. It was nice to be able to look around and recognize all of the people that had made such a difference in my life. I shared a special moment with my mom as she came to me with tears in her eyes. "My boy, my son is getting married, I am so happy for you, so happy for Claire. I know there is no couple better at sharing their love than the two of you." Her words had my eyes brimming with tears so that I almost couldn't focus when I saw Claire for the first time today.

Claire was a vision in her intricately beaded buckskins, her hair hanging loose and straight down her back to her waist, her feet bare to the floor. She smiled at me and her beauty took my breath away. Her eyes, that so perfectly matched my own, were full of the love she had for me. I knew that my eyes mirrored hers and she could see my love for her reflecting back.

At some point the gift left my hand, the circle formed, the words were spoken by the tribal elder, and I could almost feel me grandfather with us. I knew he approved of us and admired the loved we shared when what we had hardly seemed to qualify as love. The question asked of me to feed and protect my Claire seemed to break me out of my dreamlike state. As I answered that I would, I actually felt my love grow even deeper for my soul mate beside me.

After the traditional ceremony was over, I asked everyone to pause while I presented a ring to my beautiful bride. "I really enjoy our traditions, but also realize that we live in the modern world. So to claim you as mine when we are off of the reservation, I got you this," I said as I placed a diamond encrusted band next to her engagement ring.

Claire looked down at the ring and then smiled up at me and, with joy radiating from her countenance, said, "Why thank you Mr. Ateara."

"You're welcome Mrs. Ateara," I answered back softly. I then raised my voice to announce the next part. "As many of you may know, wearing any kind of jewelry is pretty much impossible for me. Because of that, a while ago Claire encouraged me to get a tattoo, and since everyone has advised me the best way to a happy marriage is to do what your wife says…" I took a dramatic pause as I slyly took the tape off my finger. The look of confusion and slight fear on Claire's face was priceless. I then raised my hand in the air revealing the ring looking tattoo and said, "I decided to follow my wife's advice and tattoo a ring on my ringer that I could never break or loose. Claire, this is permanent ink, I'm yours forever now." I looked down to see her beaming at me.

She jumped for my hand and asked, "May I see it? Does it say what I think it says?" I brought my hand down to show her the tattoo, and she examined it with a huge satisfied smile, and the formalities of the day quickly gave way to congratulations and a spirit of celebration.

We stayed and ate and partied as long as required of us, and seemed to hug every person we had ever met that day. As soon as we were allowed, we left, and ran out to a ridiculously over-decorated truck. I managed to clear off enough of the windows and mirrors to be able to drive while Claire said her goodbyes to her parents and siblings. When I turned to help her into the truck, Skye had her in an embrace whispering something in her ear and they both had tears in their eyes. I waited patiently for their touching moment to end and then helped Claire into the truck. We waved as we drove away, and it was quiet for a moment before I asked, "Claire, are you ok?"

She nodded and turned from looking out over First Beach towards me. "Yes, I'm really happy! I just…it's just a little tough for Skye sometimes. She sees what we have, and really would love it for herself. Sometimes I wonder how I was so blessed to have such love my whole life. How I was lucky enough to have you."

I reached for her hand and kissed it. "I was thinking the exact same thing," I admitted. I continued to hold her hand, and rested our intertwined fingers on my leg. I was only slightly startled when I felt Claire's fingers tracing light patterns on my thigh. I smiled and gave her hand a slight squeeze then increased the pressure of her fingers against me.

Claire turned in her seat towards me and tucked her legs up underneath her. "You know, my werewolf husband, we're all legal now…" Her words trailed off and her left hand moved higher on my leg at the same time her right hand rested on my knee.

I gave a sly grin and was never more grateful La Push was such a tiny place as we pulled into the driveway of our new home. "Yes we are my wolf wife!" I agreed enthusiastically. I turned off the truck and climbed out to pick her up in my arms cradling her against my chest as I carried her into the house over the threshold; kissing her the entire way. I finally broke the kiss and asked her, "You have two choices of what you'd like to do next. They both begin with you getting out of that beautiful outfit you are wearing, would you like to hear what your choices are?"

Claire giggled and blushed a little before saying, "Yes, I'd like to hear my choices please."

"Well, option number one involves you changing into that thin brown outfit you wore the morning of your birthday, and going for a ride to our honeymoon destination." I began to climb the stairs as I realized her clothes were in our room, so we needed to head there either way. "Option number two involves heading up to our bedroom, and spending a bit of time there before getting in that outfit for a ride to our honeymoon destination."

Claire looked around as we entered our bedroom and said, "Well, I guess I know what your preference is." She tightened her arms around my neck and began kissing me with abandon.

Just then the phone began to ring and I let out a rumbling growl. Claire laughed at my reaction, and I set her down to change. "I'm going to answer that, because it might be important, but if we go to our honeymoon location, we can't be interrupted," I hinted.

"That sounds perfect! I'll go change," she said as she scooped up her clothes and headed into the master bathroom.

By the time I reached the phone, it was no longer ringing, and the number was unidentified. _Great, I'm finally married, and telemarketers are breaking up my action!_ I thought. I swiftly hung up my cedar regalia in the closet and pulled on a comfortable pair of shorts.

Claire came out of the bathroom wearing the form fitting long sleeve T-shirt and leggings that left almost nothing to the imagination, and hung up her buckskins. She came over to me and ran her hands up my bare chest before slipping her arms around my neck and said, "Alright, Quil, I'm ready for our honeymoon without interruptions."

I immediately picked her up and had her wrap her legs around my waist and I ran down the stairs and out the back door. I went past the Dollhouse and we both smiled. I went just a little further into the forest for cover, and then set her down before stepping far enough away to phase. I turned from her, but made no effort to hide behind a tree, as I dropped my shorts and phased. I knelt down and Claire came over and climbed on my back. She lay fully out on my back and snuggled in deeper next to me than she ever had before. It sent a shivering thrill through me that Claire could feel. She giggled and breathily whispered in my ear, "You know, Quil Ateara, I think I'm really going to enjoy being your wife."

Her actions set me off and running as I thought, _I couldn't agree with you more, my wolf girl, I couldn't agree with you more._

**A/N: I am sorry to say we have come to the end of the line. After this chapter there will be an epilogue, and then this story will be done. I want to thank all of you who have supported me along this process, for your help with my story lines and grammar. After this I will be writing my own original story. Thanks especially for all the reviews!**


	45. Epilogue

**Disclaimer****: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**Thanks to Amanda2505 for beta help and the moral support to finish this chapter!**

**August 2026**

**Epilogue**

I rolled over and looked at my gorgeous wife of almost five years lying next to me on the bed. Today would be the first birthday of Claire's since she was seven that we wouldn't start the day with a wolf ride. I had to admit to myself that I was feeling conflicted. On the one hand, I really missed certain aspects of being a werewolf. On the other hand, Claire had told me she was ready for me to stop phasing and, we were definitely reaping the benefits of living a "regular" life. I moved my hand to rub Claire's barely swollen belly and smiled to myself.

We wouldn't be riding the horses or motorcycles that the resort offered, but Claire wasn't pregnant at the time when I had planned our week long trip to the Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort in southern Utah. I looked around the small suite cabin which was just the perfect size for a getaway. In some ways it reminded me of the tent we had for our first getaway, but with a log cabin theme instead of the princess of Arabia theme Alice had created for our honeymoon.

"Good morning," Claire whispered startling me from my wandering thoughts.

I leaned over and kissed her, "Happy birthday, Claire," I said wishing I could offer her more than a trip to the dining hall for breakfast.

"Good morning," Claire returned and kissed me back with more passion than I had put forth. "Quil, why do you look guilty?" she queried.

I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. I gently moved her bangs off her forehead and was startled by the heat I felt. Without my own heat overwhelming our touches, I had been constantly fearful that Claire was running a fever. She had to keep reassuring me that she was the exact temperature as she had always been, and she just felt warmer to me since I had cooled. I finally answered her question, "If I look guilty, it's probably just because I'm feeling bad about not being able to continue our birthday ritual of an adventurous early morning ride." I hung my head wishing that I wasn't disappointing Claire.

Claire took my chin in her little hand and turned my face towards hers. "Quil, you listen to me," she said rather firmly. "We had great fun on those early morning birthday rides, but I wouldn't give up the chance to grow old together for all the wolf rides in the world!" Claire gave me another impassioned kiss and then touched my hand that was still rubbing over her lower abdomen. "I also don't know why it took until you stopped phasing for me to get pregnant, when it didn't seem to be an issue for anyone else, but I finally have everything I ever wanted. Please don't ruin it for me by being grumpy on my birthday."

I had to laugh at her assessment of the situation. It had been over four years of trying to get pregnant with no results. The stress and the grief had taken its toll on the pack as well as on Claire and me. Finally Jacob couldn't take it any longer and had discussed it with Carlisle. We had gone to see him, and his only suggestion was that my body heat was somehow interfering with my production of potent swimmers. The only suggestion he had was for me to stop phasing. His theory was that if I no longer had the extra heat, maybe things would proceed normally for us. Claire and I struggled with the implications for months, and I tried to come to terms with a life that didn't include patrols and shape shifting.

The biggest issue was how lonely I felt without the pack connection. Embry was supportive, and Ariel was even more supportive. Embry and I decided to both stop phasing together. Ariel had begun to get a little embarrassed by the looks she was getting when they went out in public. Since she was still aging, and so much older than Claire, she looked a few noticeable years older than Embry. It took some getting used to, and I definitely had to update my wardrobe with warmer clothes, but it was all worth it when we found out Claire was pregnant.

I thought back on that day, and the excitement we felt as we waited for the results of the home pregnancy test. Nothing in all of our years together had compared to the elation we felt when we read that digital display that said Claire was pregnant. I had immediately scooped her up into my arms and swung her around kissing her neck and face and everything else I could reach. We must have laughed for hours, and I think it took about a week for our smiles to get back to normal. My thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of my face.

"Hey, where did you go?" Claire teased me.

I smiled back at her. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the day we found out you were pregnant," I answered.

Claire's return smile was brilliant. "Three weeks after I graduated with my bachelor's degree. Ironic, I didn't even want to wait to finish high school before having children, and I end up not only completing high school but finishing college as well." She shook her head, "Funny how things worked out that way."

"Yeah," I agreed, "the best made plans…" I thought again about her birthday and my smile faded. "You know, since this was going to be your first birthday in years without a wolf ride, I specifically planned this trip so we could ride horses or motorcycles. I feel like I let you down by not being able to provide you with a great ride for your birthday."

"Quil, you didn't let me down, trust me. Besides, you can still give me an adventurous ride for my birthday," she said seductively, "and believe me when I tell you I will never ask you to stop giving me these kinds of rides."

I was confused for a moment until her hands roaming my chest left me with no doubt as to what she meant. The thought crossed my mind that we finally could be alone without the embarrassment of the pack mind the following day. I turned to Claire, and with a very human sounding growl, started kissing her with abandon. I was suddenly looking very forward to creating a new birthday tradition, one that I knew would continue for years without an end in sight, one that we would both most definitely enjoy.


End file.
